Tony Armstrong announces surprising career ambition
Tony Armstrong has shared his surprising career ambitions, candidly revealing he is eager to explore acting opportunities.
The ABC presenter, formerly a player for the Sydney Swans, said that his Logie win in 2022 paved the way for him to explore new opportunities within media, and he is keen to try is hand at unexplored areas of entertainment.
Speaking candidly in the first episode of the ABC’s new series Great Australian Stuff, he wanted to get into acting, and that the Logie had put him on the map for a shift, but for now, he remains on the desk on weekday mornings at ABC News Breakfast.
Armstrong won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent in 2022, reflecting on how his on-air charisma brought a new energy to ABC's otherwise reserved news coverage.
“(A Logie) puts you in the mind of people who put shows together, for sure,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I still can’t believe I’ve got one. It wasn’t on the bingo card."
“It’s still weird to me, but I’m very humbled, and that was very much a vote for (ABC) News Breakfast, so my success is only as a result of the people who I’ve been lucky enough to work with.”
During his time on ABC, Armstrong has been no stranger to a slew of racist online trolls, regularly using his platform to bring awareness to the ongoing issue of racism in Australia.
In November last year, police were called over racist abuse sent to the TV personality, with Armstrong, a proud Barranbinya man, sharing a message sent to his work email address.
The national broadcaster issued a statement at the time from ABC News Director Justin Stevens, who has said the network is exploring all options to “ensure the wellbeing of our people”.
“This racist harassment is sickening. The ABC is taking a range of actions to support Tony Armstrong, including referring the matter to police,” Stevens said.
“Our journalists should not be attacked or subjected to abuse for doing their jobs.”
Armstrong also spoke out on Twitter about the vile message, saying, “This s*** has gotta stop".
“One thing is for certain though, this isn’t guna stop us speaking up or stepping up."
Image credits: Instagram