Words that ended Karl and Peter Stefanovic’s reign at Nine

Karl and Peter Stefanovic sealed their fate months ago in a late-night conversation that brought public humiliation to Nine.

Karl Stefanovic is gone, axed from the Today show after what he himself conceded in a statement had been a “tough time.”

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It came just a day after the network announced that his brother Peter would be leaving Nine altogether, a “mutual decision to part ways” after 15 years.

It’s been nine months since the high-profile siblings were embroiled in the messy public scandal dubbed ‘Ubergate’ — a tawdry tabloid story that embarrassed not only them, but also their colleagues and bosses at Nine.

UBERGATE

In March, details of an embarrassing phone call between Stefanovic and his brother Peter were leaked to New Idea.

The private phone call was reportedly recorded by an Uber driver while Peter and his wife, Today newsreader Sylvia Jeffreys, were in the back of his car late at night, speaking to Karl on speakerphone.

However, the driver later denied reports he’d recorded the conversation, which is illegal, claiming instead that he simply remembered the details.

During the 45-minute conversation, the brothers attacked Nine colleagues Richard Wilkins, Georgie Gardner, Mark Burrows and network bosses in a sensational spray.

The brothers suffered public humiliation this year when details of a late-night Uber call were made public. Picture: Instagram

KARL VENTS

Karl — who reportedly earned $2 million a year at Nine — vented his frustration about new co-host Gardner, drafted in to replace Lisa Wilkinson after her shock defection to Ten over pay parity issues. Karl accuses Gardner of “sitting on the fence” and not having enough opinions. Karl became angry and declared she needed to “step up” if she “wanted to stay on the show”.

It was also claimed that Karl complained that Today’s veteran entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins was monopolising that space, and “kept all the entertainment contacts close to his chest.”

But according to the magazine, Karl’s frustration wasn’t limited to his colleagues. He reportedly also went into great detail about what was wrong with well-known shows such as 60 Minutes — which he claimed was suffering dwindling ratings — before pointing out that Nine bosses “didn’t know anything and ... are out of touch.”

PETER “HATES HIS JOB”

During the trip, Peter complained at length that he “hated his job” and would often express his frustrations to Jeffreys, claimed the driver.

The driver revealed Peter, who hosted Today Weekend and was a 60 Minutes reporter, was unhappy that his ideas were always rejected and that it was “sucking the life out of him”.

Karl reportedly gave his younger brother some tough advice: To demand an extra $60,000 from the network and “not to take no for an answer.”

APOLOGIES: “SO STUPID”

The brothers both publicly apologised for their loose-lipped convo as the story exploded.

“We talk a hundred times a day and hardly ever about work,” Karl told the Sunday Telegraph. “But we did, and the conversation was recorded. And we are sorry. I was angry with myself at first that I could be so stupid.”

Peter also apologised for the conversation.

“I did a silly thing and feel awful for any embarrassment I’ve brought to my (Channel 9) colleagues, who I deeply ­respect,” he said.

Despite Stefanovic issuing a public apology, there were weeks of on-air tension between he and Gardner after the phone call’s details were published.

Karl Stefanovic and Georgie Gardner had an at times frosty on-air relationship.

Just days after the details of the phone call were made public, Gardner pointedly called her co-host “pathetic” on-air when he confessed to a fear of dogs. “Well, it’s probably about now I should call you pathetic,” she told him.

RATINGS WOES

Earlier this month Today’s executive producer Mark Calvert stepped down from the role after a horror year of ratings and “tension” with Stefanovic.

In an email to staff, Nine news director Darren Wick confirmed Calvert would leave the embattled breakfast program after five years at the helm.

“From personal experience, I know there is no more challenging role in news and current affairs than the daily breakfast battle between Today and Sunrise. It’s a national ratings race where audience loyalty fluctuates from city to city, and often suburb to suburb,” Mr Wick wrote.

The Today show was convincingly beaten in the ratings this year by Channel 7’s Sunrise.

Sunrise averaged 454,000 national viewers compared to Today’s 347,000.

HELL HATH NO FURY

Cassandra Thorburn. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Throughout the year, one figure in Karl’s life has been ever-present in the headlines: ex-wife and mother to his three children Cassandra Thorburn, whose frequent public attacks have taken a toll on his public image.

When she hasn’t been bemoaning the media interest in her personal life and insisting she’s “no longer a story,” Thorburn’s been giving eye-watering tell-all interviews about her ex.

In October 2017 she told Woman’s Day magazine her ex-husband was “dead” to her.

“The children still have a father but I don’t have a husband. He really is dead to me and no, we won’t ever be friends again,” she said.

In August 2018 she spoke to The Australian Woman’s Weekly, revealing her and Stefanovic’s children “feel like we’re dead to his family and almost anyone from our old life”.

“I feel like we’ve been discarded and disposed of, replaced by a whole new line-up of starters,” she said.

The couple in happier times, at the 2011 Logie Awards. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty

Then there was her September 2018 appearance on Studio 10, in which she revealed she had gone through her ex’s phone. “Oh, there’s a LOT of things you find in them. Too bad I didn’t do it earlier,” Thorburn said, to gasps from the panel.

Perhaps her most shocking attack was her most recent: In an interview with New Idea this month, she labelled her ex a “fake” and claimed he had “a lot to hide”.

“He’s thrown three weddings for goodness sake. Who needs three weddings in a year, give us a break,” Thorburn said, referencing Stefanovic and Yarbrough’s non-binding commitment ceremony in March and their widely reported — but unconfirmed — legal marriage prior to leaving for Mexico.

“Three weddings and a funeral. We had a funeral and it was my dad’s.”

SHOCK MAG DEAL

Their magical Mexico wedding.

Thorburn had a point — Stefanovic’s wedding, to fashion designer Jasmine Yarbrough, 10 years his junior, couldn’t have been more lavish.

Held across four days in exclusive San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, every inch of the event was available for public consumption thanks to a nine-page spread in Who magazine, whose editor attended the wedding as a guest.

The mag deal raised eyebrows — just 10 months earlier, Stefanovic had publicly insisted that “there is no media deal. Don’t believe everything you read.”

Even more surprising — the fact Stefanovic had chosen Who for the exclusive, given the title is owned by Pacific Magazines, part of Nine rival Seven West Media’s stable. His choice to hand the story to Nine’s direct rival is understood to have added to his woes with his employers.

BROTHER BOOTED

Peter Stefanovic announced his exit from Nine yesterday. Picture: Instagram

Peter Stefanovic had reportedly insisted back in that fateful Uber phone call that he “hated his job” and would often express his frustrations to wife and colleague Sylvia Jeffreys, claimed the driver.

Peter said he was unhappy his ideas were always rejected and that it was “sucking the life out of him”.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, then, that Peter yesterday left the network after 15 years.

He had departed to “explore new opportunities”, a statement from the network read, after reports he was set to be dropped from his Weekend Today hosting role.

“Nine and reporter Peter Stefanovic have mutually decided to part ways after 15 years,” a spokesman told news.com.au.

In a statement, Peter said he had “an amazing time at Nine being a foreign correspondent, news reporter and covering some amazing stories for 60 Minutes” — but strangely didn’t mention his latest gig on Weekend Today.

“I’ll miss my friends at Nine very much, it has been a huge privilege to work alongside so many great people,” he added.

AXED ON HIS HONEYMOON

Stefanovic and Yarbrough celebrate their wedding in Cabo.

Karl was all smiles as he stepped out in the upscale ski resort town of Aspen on Sunday with his new wife and billionaire best mate James Packer. But the writing was on the wall.

“Nine and Karl Stefanovic have agreed it is time for him to step off the Today show,” Nine’s Director of News and Current Affairs Darren Wick said in yesterday’s statement.

“Karl remains on contract with the network and will continue to host This Time Next Year, which records in February.

“For over 14 years Karl has been at the centre of the Today show bringing his unique personality and perspective to the day’s news and current affairs.

“An announcement on the new line up and format of the Today show will be made in the coming weeks.”