High Steaks: Larry Emdur talks about Seven scandal and why he’s nice to everyone

Larry Emdur has spoken out about the scandal surrounding his employer, Channel 7, saying ‘people need to feel safe and well and happy at work’. The man dubbed TV’s nicest guy’ sat down for a High Steaks interview with Karlie Rutherford.

Leading up to television’s night of nights, The TV Week Logie Awards, the spotlight has been on the industry itself.

Channel 7 is hosting the event, which celebrates the best the industry has to offer.

At the same time, the network itself has been at the centre of a Four Corners exposé on the toxic workplace culture, with claims of sexual harassment and bullying.

For Larry Emdur, one of Channel 7’s stars who is up for a Gold Logie tonight, it has been an interesting dichotomy.

The host says while in his bubble it is “a really happy team” –– which, he points out, has strong female bosses across The Morning Show and The Chase, led by Sarah Stinson, Chloe Flynn and co-host Kylie Gillies, and Deb Stewart and Andrea Williams — he has seen the recent reports.

Veteran TV presenter Larry Emdur sits down to a High Steaks interview with journalist Karlie Rutherford at North Bondi RSL. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“I know there’s a focus on a small minority of people doing the wrong thing,” he says. “Obviously, we need to do better in some areas, and importantly the network is taking steps to address it.

“After all these years, I’m still incredibly proud to work at Seven among so many talented production people and journalists who are really passionate about what they do.”

Regularly described as ‘the nicest man on TV’, Emdur says everyone should try their best to be a good human being. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

However, as someone who has been in the business for four decades and is highly regarded, does Emdur feel he has to right others’ past wrongs?

“You hear this a lot in lots of different industries,” Emdur says. “What needs to happen now is all that needs to be addressed, and proactively worked through.

“I believe it’s true of the ABC, Channel 10 and Channel 9 too. I believe it’s true in the airlines. I believe it’s true in the legal fraternity. I believe it’s true in hospitality.

“These are constant discussions. The narrative needs to change.

“People need to feel safe and well and happy at work,” he says.

“For me it’s really simple. Maybe I’m still the naive kid that said to my dad, ‘I’m going to a first day at TV, what do I do?’ And he said, ‘Just be nice to everyone’.

“I know that’s not the reality at the top end of the tree. I’ve worked enough in the corporate world to know that that’s not how CEOs or execs can behave when they’re trying to drive big deals. You can’t be nice to everybody.

“But I think we all need to be good human beings.”

That Emdur is. He’s been dubbed the nicest man on television.

Emdur and fellow Gold Logie nominees Tony Armstrong, Andy Lee, Robert Irwin, Sonia Kruger and Julia Morris. His tip is that Irwin will win. Picture: Getty Images

Taking a break from his Gold Logie campaigning, the TV host and father to Jye and Tia stops in at North Bondi RSL for lunch, where he orders grilled salmon.

“I’ve got the Logies on Sunday night and they’ve tailored the suit quite tight,” he jokes.

It’s fitting he picked the venue, considering his “whole life” revolved around this Ben Buckler headland.

“I can look out from this balcony and see my entire life. It’s like a time capsule for me,” he says. “I can sit here and see where my late dad used to push me around the little kiddies pool on a surfboard. That’s where I learned to surf … I had my bachelor pad here and it’s where I was living when (wife) Sylvie and I got together and where Jye was born.”

Now Emdur has returned to mark another life moment. After more than 40 years in television, the 59-year-old has been nominated for his first ever Logie. And it just so happens that he’s up for a Gold alongside Julia Morris, Sonia Kruger, Tony Armstrong, Andy Lee, Asher Keddie and Robert Irwin. What took him so long?

“I’ve done some horrible shows. I’ve done some good shows but I think when you host a show like Celebrity Dog School, that takes you out of the Logies nomination in perpetuity,” he jokes.

Yet Emdur is the favourite to take out the Gold on Sportsbet. Guy Sebastian’s even written a song for him. It has been overwhelming for a man who doesn’t like to talk about himself.

Emdur as a young surfie. Picture: Supplied

“I haven’t been sleeping much and I’ve been trying to work out what this all means.

“The reality is it would mean the world to me. But at the same time, it doesn’t mean a lot.

“My career is set. I’m approaching retirement age. It’s not going to get me more jobs or more money, or it’s not going to mean my career steps up,” he says.

“I think that the Gold has always been reserved for the rock stars in the business. I’ve never considered myself that. The Daryl Somers and the Ray Martins and the Sonia Krugers.

“I’ll tell you how I see it. I sit in the format of the show. I’m part of the small cog in the machine. The other guys that we’re talking about jump out of their formats. They become the stars of the show and bigger than the show. Where I consciously, I’ve never done that.

“I’m just happy driving the bus. I’ve never aimed to be the Priscilla on the top of the bus.”

Emdur dropped out of high school at 15 before working his way into television as a teenager in the newsroom.

He famously hosted The Price is Right, on both Seven and Nine. He’s also fronted everything from Hey Hey It’s Saturday to Cash Bonanza. He’s been host of The Morning Show for 17 years next to Kylie Gillies — the program No. 1 in its timeslot.

“After 40 years in what you say is a cutthroat business, I’m proud that I did what my dad told me to do, which was just be nice to everyone. I’ve worked really hard at that, and I think that’s helped me.

“I finished at Seven, I went to Ten, I went to Nine, I came to Seven, I went back to Ten. No one does that.

“I feel so lucky, but I think that’s because I’ve tried to be a good human,” he says.

Family comes first for Larry and Sylvie Emdur, who have been married for 30 years. Picture: Getty Images

However there have been dark times. Emdur points to when game show The Main Event was axed in 1992, it made the front page of the papers. Or his show Family Double Dare, that was cancelled after the first episode.

“There have been plenty of dark times. As TV’s most axed man there have been plenty of career-ending decisions,” he says. “That’s what I am most proud of, that I’ve been able to claw my way through. I don’t know (how),

“I think it could only be my love of television and my fear of everything else.”

But none of this compares to the love of his family. This year Emdur and Sylvie will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

“I’m surprised Sylvie’s still with me. I could never promise a reliable salary. I could promise her a good time: ‘I just got axed, let’s go to Bali for six weeks.’ I promised her all that fun stuff and I think that has, you know, really helped us get through the traumas,” he says.

“I could not have done this without my family. And that goes back to my mum and my late dad. I’ve been lucky enough to have that support system around me.”

Emdur and journalist Karlie Rutherford dig in at North Bondi RSL. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Which is why, should Robert Irwin win the Gold Logie, which Emdur predicts he will, he will be content.

“My career is great. But to have my wife and my kids there, I’m the winner.

“If TV finished tomorrow, if this was the last salmon dish I ever got for free, it doesn’t matter.

“What’s important to me is that my kids love me, and they’re still proud of me after all this time.

“Ten years ago, I would have loved to host a Tonight Show before I finished my life in TV. But I don’t feel that way any more.”

Instead, it’s retirement that’s been on his mind.

“For the first time in my life, I’m … the old bald guy,” he says.

“I can’t say I’ll do The Chase for 10 more years, then retire, because the network might say, thanks very much but we’ve got Gold Logie-winning Robert Irwin’s coming to host.”

And that will be okay by Emdur.

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Originally published as High Steaks: Larry Emdur talks about Seven scandal and why he’s nice to everyone