“We’ve had our bumps”: Georgie was always leaving with Karl returning to Today
Karl Stefanovic has announced that he will be returning to Today in 2020, but it’s alongside Allison Langdon and not his former co-host Georgie Gardner.
This came as a shock to some, as they have previously worked together on the show, but some believed that their union was doomed from the start.
It was reported that Gardner had quit her role in 2014 after getting tired of Stefanovic’s blokey on-air antics.
She acknowledged that the duo have had their “bumps” when it was announced that they were co-hosts in November, 2017.
“I’m assuming with you we pick up where we left off. That is me running amok and you keeping me in line,” Gardner said.
“Jokes aside, you know how much respect I’ve had for you. There’s been a bit of conjecture over the last few weeks how we feel about each other, loathe each other,” she joked.
“You know, we have had our bumps, we’ve had our laughs.”
Things would only get worse between the pair after the infamous Uber-gate scandal, where Stefanovic accused Gardner of “sitting on the fence” and saying that she needed to “step up” if “she wanted to stay on the show”.
Viewers immediately tuned into the next show to see if there was any tension between the pair, which came to light in an unlikely segment about sausage dogs.
“You have to face your fears, Karl,” newsreader Deb Knight told him.
“That’s right, and that’s coming up – don’t you worry about that,” Gardner responded pointedly, looking him directly in the eye.
When Karl continued to air his fears about sausage dogs, Gardner told him: “Well, it’s probably about now I should call you pathetic.”
Tensions continued to rise after reports from an executive at 9 spoke to the Sunday Telegraph about how Gardner wanted Stefanovic gone.
“Georgie simply demanded she won’t work with Karl anymore,” a Channel 9 executive told the Telegraph.
“She hates Karl and has done for a long time. They didn’t like each other before she joined the show. Then the Uber thing tipped it over the edge. And then the wedding, she didn’t go when she was invited. You’d think your co-host would support you by being there but Georgie can’t stand Karl and has been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
After hearing about Stefanovic’s return to the breakfast show, Gardner gave a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald earlier today.
She said that she was made aware about the show’s direction two weeks ago and is “disappointed with the outcome”.
“I have no regrets, even though the scrutiny and public discourse has been daunting and disproportionate. It’s also at times been cruel,” she finished.