Sunrise guest sledges Karl Stefanovic in live interview with Sam Mac

A Sunrise guest has hilariously taken aim at rival breakfast television host Karl Stefanovic this morning, leaving Kochie and Nat Barr in stitches.

The Sunrise team were left chuckling when a guest on the show unceremoniously threw rival breakfast presenter Karl Stefanovic under the bus this morning.

Channel 7 weather presenter Sam Mac, who is currently in Broome, was interviewing a Red Sun Camels tours operator when the cheeky sledge was thrown at the Nine star, leaving David “Kochie” Koch and Nat Barr giggling in the studio.

Speaking to the show in celebration of the company’s 22nd birthday, camel handler John didn’t miss a beat when asked about celebrity segments he’d appeared in previously.

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Camel tour operator John was quick to throw Karl Stefanovic under the bus during an interview on Sunrise.

“You’ve obviously had a lot of TV people, movie people; who’s been the biggest wimp on a camel in 22 years?” the weatherman asked him.

“Oh, you’re going to love this... Karl Stefanovic,” John responded to laughs from the team.

“We did the Today show many years ago. Lisa Wilkinson? Brave as all hell, could do anything. Karl? Nup, big girl’s blouse,” he added.

As Mac insisted the answer wasn’t a set up, John said: “Karl remembers.”

Barr and Kochie were loving it in the studio

Concluding the segment with one last dig, the weatherman joked, “The camels are a great judge of character I’ve heard,” adding, “Nah good on ya Karl.”

It’s the second live Sunrise moment this month to do the rounds online after a segment with a guest ended unexpectedly.

Earlier in October, Kochie was left red faced when an attempt at lighthearted banter with competition winner Christine Linn went awry.

Appearing at her front door in a Hawaiian Lei with a tropical cocktail in hand, Christine was thrilled to receive the prize of a tropical cruise.

“Tell us who you’re going to take?” Barr excitedly asked her.

The awkward live moment went down during a live cross with a competition winner.

But the segment took a turn when Christine revealed she’d be taking her husband, prompting Kochie to jokingly ask why.

“Um. He’s got terminal cancer,” Christine replied as the hosts’ animated expressions instantly fell.

It comes after the Seven Network declared an early victory in the morning television battle of the year, naming Sunrise the top-rated breakfast show for 2022 back in August.

In a press release issued to media titled “Sunrise wins 2022”, Seven revealed that the David Koch and Natalie Barr-hosted breakfast TV mainstay had at that point in the year taken an “unbeatable lead over its rivals” in the ratings.

It marks the 19th year in a row that Sunrise has rated first in its timeslot for the year. So far in 2022, Sunrise has won every week in the ratings, both nationally and in the capital cities.

It’s been a tricky year for Today in the ratings battle.

“We are proud that more than 1.01 million people start with Sunrise every morning across Australia, and we never take it for granted,” Seven Network director of morning television Sarah Stinson said in the media release.

“As the world bounces back from the past few years, Australians continue to turn to Kochie, Nat and the team for breaking news, a sense of community and the light and laughs we all need to start the day feeling great and well-informed.”

Sunrise has this year had an average national daily audience of 397,000 viewers, which Seven trumpets is “31 per cent bigger than its nearest competitor”.

That nearest competitor had a surprise change-up earlier this year, when Seven’s traditional close rival, Nine’s Today show, dropped to third in the ratings behind ABC News Breakfast every day for a week.