"I was upset": Karl confirms snub to Sam Armytage
Karl Stefanovic has confirmed he was passed over as the host of Channel 9’s election coverage over the weekend.
The 47-year-old told former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage that he was “upset” about the snub during his appearance on her podcast Something to Talk About With Samantha Armytage.
Though Stefanovic and his Today co-star Allison Langdon reportedly presented a strong pitch to host the bulletin, Nine opted for long-time presenter Peter Overton and Melbourne newsreader Alicia Loxley.
Stefanovic admitted to Armytage that the snub was disappointing.
“I was upset that I didn’t host the election … It’s kind of like doing all the preliminary games for two years and then missing out on the Super Bowl,” he said.
“But it’s not something you need to articulate in a particularly public fashion: ‘I was really shitty.’ No, no.
“When you’ve been in broadcasting as long as I have, you’re going to get some gigs, you’re not going to get them all.
“You think about it for a while and you go, other people make those decisions … I’ll just stay at home and [shrug it off].”
Langdon was reportedly particularly “aggrieved” about the snub, with The Daily Telegraph reporting that sources said she was “bristling” over the choice and took her complaint to Darren Wick, Nine’s director of news.
On Armytage’s podcast, Stefanovic said the pair had done “an enormous amount of work” prior to the election, including interviewing political figures every day during the campaign, with Stefanovic even pulling off major interviews with Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese for 60 Minutes.
“I’m very proud of what we did day in, day out. And while I might be upset, you’ve got to put your big boy pants on and go to work the next day and get on with it,” he added.
The snub comes after Stefanovic was nominated for the Gold Logie at this year’s awards, having been nominated twice previously and winning the Gold Logie in 2011.
Image: @karlstefanovic (Instagram)