Today in crisis: Why Georgie Gardner is out covering bushfires

IT MAY have seemed like business as usual, but there was an important reason Georgie Gardner was out of the office today.

IT MAY have looked like business as usual on Today this morning, but a closer look showed all was not well on the Channel 9 breakfast show.

As the scandal of the bitchy Uber conversation between host Karl Stefanovic and his brother Peter rolled out yesterday, all four players in the saga were sent in different directions in an apparent bid to ease tensions.

This morning co-host Georgie Gardner wasn’t sitting opposite Karl at the Today desk, instead, she had been sent on the road to report from the devastated seaside suburb of Tathra on the NSW south coast.

Meanwhile Sylvia Jeffreys and husband Peter were also on the road leading to a bizarre situation where none of the four were actually in the same room together, but linked by a series of live crosses.

I wonder if one can read anything in channel 9 choosing to keep Karl Stefanovic in the studio and sending Georgie Gardner out of the studio?

— AshGhebranious (@AshGhebranious) March 19, 2018

Insiders believe the move was calculated to keep Gardner in the mix and show support for the new Today host, and allow time for the air to clear between the pair.

Yesterday Gardner took a thinly veiled swipe at Karl on the program calling him “pathetic” during a light-hearted segment.

It was the first time the pair had been side-by-side in the studio since Karl’s secret Uber whinge fest came to light last week.

A catastrophic fire storm has ripped through parts of NSW and VIC, destroying dozens of homes and forcing hundreds to shelter in evacuation centres. Our reporters are on the scene. #9Today pic.twitter.com/Yi8eIYcz7j

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 18, 2018

Karl was on leave last week following his commitment ceremony to Yasmine Scarborough which left just yesterday’s show to attempt to heal the broken relationship between Gardner and Stefanovic.

But as the full details of Stefanovic’s speakerphone conversation with brother Pete, in which he vented angrily about Gardner and his fellow Today colleagues, were published in full by New Idea magazine, things only got worse.

After a dramatic week, which has capped a difficult year in terms of public image for the one-time golden boy of Nine, management are reportedly working hard behind the scenes to rescue relationships on set.

Nine defended their decision to send Gardner to cover the bushfire crisis, telling the Daily Mail: “Georgie is doing her job and sharing the stories of these devastated communities.”

The joys of maternity leave... watching the demise of Karl Stefanovic on @TheTodayShow

— Carissa Gallen (@CarissaGallen) March 19, 2018

No Georgie Gardner this morning on the Today Show. Disappointing who now is going to call Karl Stefanovic pathetic !!!

— bonza741 (@boumj005) March 19, 2018

Meanwhile Jeffreys helmed coverage of the Victorian bushfires live from Camperdown, while Karl, back in the Sydney studio bounced between reports from Gardner and brother Peter, who was covering the action from an evacuation centre on the south coast.

“Today, I’m live at Tathra, as people here get their first look at the damage done by the fires,” Gardner said as she introduced the show this morning.

Good morning Australia. Take a look at what's coming up on the show today. #9Today pic.twitter.com/cxMCoIJgz8

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 19, 2018

Karl and Peter’s extraordinary attack, which lasted 45-minutes, was reportedly privately recorded by an Uber driver and included claims by Stefanovic that if Gardner “wanted to stay on the show”, she needed to “step up”.

He also reportedly called Today’s new co-host, “a wishy-washy fence-sitter who likes to play it safe”.

Yesterday TV presenters Waleed Aly and Jessica Rowe came to the defence of Gardner in separate conversations regarding the awkward call.

The Project co-host told viewers “nobody came out looking great”.

We'll be bringing you the latest on the bushfire catastrophe all morning. #9Today https://t.co/srhFmPAJ28

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 19, 2018

Gardner had previously told The Daily Telegraph before starting the gig that she felt “wary” sharing herself openly with the whole of Australia.

“I figure we’re all at risk of saying something that we might ... regret or feel ‘oh gosh, I wish I didn’t say that’, but I hope that doesn’t override the genuine side of me and my authenticity,” she said.

Meanwhile, viewers aired differing opinions of the growing internal battle. Some seemed to relish in the “demise” of Stefanovic, while others defended his right to privacy and demandeed the Australian public “check your decency and moral compass”.

What unfolds tomorrow morning is anyone’s guess.

Hate on Karl Stefanovic all you want but his private conversations are none of our business. If you think they are, you need to check your decency and moral compass before you go around attacking his.

— Karen Rock (@Kazzie63) March 19, 2018

@peterstefanovic @karlstefanovic Work sucks and you guys literally had a conversation that is had in nearly every family in the world. You have nothing to apologise for. If you can’t complain about work with family, who can you talk to? #worksucks #weallthinkit

— Merita Hammond (@MeritaHammond) March 19, 2018

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