Karl Stefanovic is set to return as co-host of Channel Nine's Today program in 2020, following his dismissal last year. He will be joined by Alli Langdon, currently host of Weekend Today and a reporter for 60 Minutes, while Georgie Gardner will depart the show. Deborah Knight will serve as co-host on Monday mornings.
Gardner expressed disappointment at the decision, stating she was consulted two weeks prior about the show's future direction. Despite this, she took pride in being part of an innovative move that saw the first female co-hosting duo in Australian breakfast television. She noted the scrutiny and public discourse had been daunting, disproportionate, and at times cruel.
Stefanovic told the Sydney Morning Herald, owned by Nine, that he was as shocked as everyone else by the reversal. Nine's director of news, Darren Wick, acknowledged that the experiment with two female hosts had not resonated with audiences. Wick confirmed that newsreader Tom Steinfort and entertainment reporters Richard Wilkins and Brooke Boney would remain with Nine, with the full line-up to be announced later.
The Today show has experienced record low ratings since Stefanovic's departure in 2018, following a difficult period marked by his divorce from Cassandra Thorburn and remarriage to Jasmine Yarbrough, which had already contributed to declining viewership.
