{"id":758520,"date":"2026-06-25T03:37:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T03:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/758520\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T03:37:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T03:37:22","slug":"karl-stefanovic-replacement-who-will-replace-long-time-today-show-host","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/758520\/","title":{"rendered":"Karl Stefanovic replacement: Who will replace long-time Today show host?"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 25, 2026 \u2014 12:06pm<\/p>\n

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With Karl Stefanovic\u2019s removal from the Today show<\/a> after 20 years in the chair, the Nine Network is faced with the biggest decision of all: who will replace him? Today has been so reliant on its big stars for so long it has failed to do any meaningful succession planning, with no clear name ready to take over from Stefanovic. It is also faced with finding maternity leave cover for Today co-host Sarah Abo, who is due to give birth<\/a> imminently.<\/p>\n

\"One-timeOne-time Today show co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo. Nine will be looking for a new on-air partner for Abo. Hugh Stewart <\/p>\n

Nine is staring down a drop in ratings, too, with Today continually walloped by its Seven rival Sunrise (Tuesday\u2019s national figures are a case in point: Sunrise 459,000 and Today 292,000). In fact, Today hasn\u2019t beaten Sunrise for 20 years. It came close in 2016, when Stefanovic and former co-host Lisa Wilkinson notched up the most weekly wins<\/a> in the major capitals, but was unable to beat Sunrise\u2019s strength in the regional markets.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Today<\/a><\/p>\n

So, what to do? Take a punt on new talent? That\u2019s not really Nine\u2019s go. (In Sydney, for example, its two 6pm newsreaders are men in their 60s.) Or find a pair of safe hands who won\u2019t scare away its rusted-on audience but probably won\u2019t attract any new viewers. Today has tried two female hosts before, Deb Knight and Georgie Gardner<\/a>, who were paired in 2019 when Stefanovic \u201cstepped off\u201d the show, saying he wasn\u2019t \u201cat his best\u201d. But that experiment ended a year later amid falling ratings and Stefanovic was reinstalled, with Ally Langdon<\/a> at his side. So, who\u2019s next? Louise Rugendyke and Karl Quinn assess the potential candidates.<\/p>\n

\"TomTom Steinfort has been filling in for Karl Stefanovic but Nine may be reluctant to let him leave Melbourne.Wolter PeetersTom Steinfort<\/p>\n

If you were to take as an omen the line-up on Today this week, you\u2019d say Tom Steinfort is a shoo-in to replace Stefanovic. I mean, he\u2019s already doing the job. He looks good in a suit. He can read an autocue. He\u2019s got some journalistic chops, too, having spent five years (in two stints) as a reporter on 60 Minutes, not to mention postings to the US and Europe as Nine\u2019s news correspondent. But on the negative side of the ledger is the fact he\u2019s been a huge positive since replacing Peter Hitchener as presenter (with the popular and talented Alicia Loxley) of Nine\u2019s Monday-to-Friday evening news bulletin in Melbourne, and that has helped Nine close the gap on Seven\u2019s nightly news, which has long been the most-watched program in the country, to the point that it is now often the No.1 bulletin in the metro capitals (Seven still has a sizable lead in the regional markets). That\u2019s an edge they will be incredibly reluctant to relinquish. Karl Quinn<\/p>\n

\"JoelJoel Dry, who co-presents Nine\u2019s 6pm bulletin. Joel Dry<\/p>\n

Much the same caveats apply to Dry as to Steinfort: a seasoned performer with a solid news background, lots of on-air experience, looks good, manages to seem approachable and authoritative. And the same positive-as-a-negative: he co-hosts (with Melissa Downes) the weeknight news bulletin in Brisbane, and it\u2019s going gangbusters. It\u2019s a nice problem for Nine to have but not wanting to mess with a winning formula in primetime doesn\u2019t do a lot to solve the massive problem the network has at the other end of the day. KQ<\/p>\n

\"TodayToday Extra hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys, who would provide an easy fix for Today. David Campbell<\/p>\n

The perennial bridesmaid. He has hosted Today Extra since 2011 (back when it was known as Mornings) and is a familiar and friendly face for viewers. He has strong connections across the industry<\/a> with his background in entertainment, and being the son of Jimmy Barnes<\/a> also adds to his appeal. For an easy fix, Nine could just move Campbell and his Today Extra co-host Sylvia Jeffreys<\/a> into the Today slot when Abo takes maternity leave, which would be a smooth transition and keep Today\u2019s existing audience happy. Will they bring in new viewers? Probably not! But they might entice former viewers of Today, who were exhausted with Stefanovic\u2019s antics<\/a>, to tune back in. Louise Rugendyke<\/p>\n

\"JamesJames Bracey (left) with Billy Slater at the 2024 Melbourne Cup. James Bracey<\/p>\n

The Nine News Sydney sports presenter is all over the network, not only covering sport Sunday to Thursday, he also anchors much of its NRL coverage, as well as the Australian Open, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the Melbourne Cup, swimming trials and appears on various footy shows. He has also filled in on Today a few times but would Nine want to sacrifice one of its big sports hosts to Today? Bracey is a dad, has a wonderfully relaxed manner on screen, with shiny teeth and shoes, and falls into the category \u201cof nice young man on the telly\u201d that appeals to Nine\u2019s broad demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54, footy heads and those fanatical about tennis for two weeks in January. If Nine did plump for Bracey, it would likely need a more news-oriented co-host to match, like Abo. LR<\/p>\n

Michael Atkinson<\/p>\n

Like Stefanovic, Michael Atkinson was born in regional Queensland, attended private school in Brisbane, is married with three children (as were Stefanovic and Thorburn) and has a regular-bloke persona that doesn\u2019t alienate women. He\u2019s a sports journalist (and former rugby coach) on Stan, having come through the Nine News and Wide World of Sports talent pipeline, has been a fill-in host on Today (as well as a reporter, with a matey rapport with Karl) and is currently co-host, with Alison Piotrowski, of the program\u2019s weekend edition. If Nine management is looking for someone who matches the template, they could do a lot worse. KQ<\/p>\n

\"WeekendWeekend Sunrise co-host David Woiwod has Clark Kent vibes. David Woiwod<\/p>\n

If Nine did decide to look beyond their own bunker, Seven\u2019s Weekend Sunrise co-host is a great option. Importantly, he has the news chops, as he started his career on 10 News Melbourne, covering state politics, before moving to Seven, where he was the Melbourne correspondent for Sunrise, giving him a national profile. Woiwod was Seven News\u2019 US correspondent and bureau chief for four years, before heading home to co-host Weekend Sunrise with Monique Wright (who should also be snapped up Nine) in 2024. He also, frankly, has the looks for breakfast TV, with his dark-framed glasses and short-back-and-sides giving him the air of Clark Kent. And if anyone needs a superhero in disguise to rescue breakfast TV, it\u2019s Nine. LR<\/p>\n

\"PeterPeter and Karl Stefanovic at the 2011 TV Week Logie Awards.Penny Stephens[First name here] Stefanovic<\/p>\n

Look, Nine tried to get rid of Karl once before. It didn\u2019t work out so well and so they hired him back again. That clearly is off the cards this time. But what about the next best thing: a DIFFERENT Stefanovic. You keep the brand name, without the taint, and you get the right-wing audience. Brother Peter is an experienced journalist in his own right and is currently hosting Sky\u2019s morning news program First Edition. OK, given the current stench caused by Karl\u2019s lurch to the right, taking someone from Sky might pose a few issues. So what about the other brother, Tom? A former cameraman at Nine, Tom currently works in his wife\u2019s family\u2019s business Mandole Orchard, bringing almond-based products to market. But the nut doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree, so why not pop him in front of the camera rather than behind it and see if he blossoms? KQ<\/p>\n

\"ToddTodd Woodbridge on the set of his game show Tipping Point Australia. The wildcards<\/p>\n

Todd Woodbridge has been a revelation for Nine across a variety of roles well beyond the sportscasting for which the former tennis champ was initially hired. And as host of the surprise smash Tipping Point he\u2019s played a vital role in setting up the resurgence of the nightly news bulletin that follows. He\u2019s done enough to earn a Gold Logie nomination<\/a>; has he done enough to earn a spot on the couch? If management is willing to cast the net a little wider, maybe former News Breakfast co-host Michael Rowland<\/a> could be tempted back on air. A return to early-morning starts might be tough but the pay packet \u2013 a long way short of Stefanovic\u2019s $2 million-plus but still a lot more than he\u2019d have been pulling at the ABC \u2013 might ease the pain. The bigger hurdle, though, would be the fact he reportedly quit in part to look after his wife, Nicola Webber, who had been ill.
OK, if we\u2019re going to throw open the door to people from the ABC, how about we go all-in and suggest Nine make a play for Tony Armstrong? The guy is funny, handsome, charismatic and smart. Ambitious, too, and if we\u2019re to take seriously his \u201cjokes\u201d about wanting more money, he\u2019s open to offers. And what better way to signal your distance from Stefanovic\u2019s political views than to appoint Armstrong? KQ<\/p>\n

Editor’s pick\"<\/a>Want more TV? We\u2019ve got you.Save<\/p>\n

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\"LouiseLouise Rugendyke<\/a> is the National TV editor and a senior culture writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"June 25, 2026 \u2014 12:06pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":758521,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":["post-758520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=758520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/758521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=758520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=758520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=758520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}