For more than a decade, Julia Morris has been one of the most recognisable faces of Australian reality television, best known for her quick wit, fearless humour and larger-than-life presence on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Now, just months after Network 10 put the long-running series on hold, the 58-year-old entertainer appears ready to turn the page — and her next move is taking her somewhere audiences may not expect.
A Very Different Kind of Television Return
Julia Morris has joined the cast of Stuck Up & Stupid, an eight-part Stan Original currently in production in Sydney.
The series is a contemporary Australian reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, adapted from the bestselling novel by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice. It is being produced by Goalpost Pictures and CBS Studios, with Angourie Rice leading the cast.
The official cast announcement places Julia alongside an unusually star-studded ensemble, including Yvonne Strahovski, Brendon Tremblay, Brooke Satchwell, Hannah Gadsby, Luke Carroll, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Erika Heynatz, Sophie Monk, Christian Wilkins and Rob Mills.
There is no release date announced yet, but filming is already underway — making this much more than a future possibility for Julia.
It is a genuine return to scripted television.
And Sophie Monk Is Making the Same Unexpected Move
Julia will not be the only familiar television personality stepping into the scripted world.
Sophie Monk, best known in recent years as the host of Love Island Australia, is also part of the Stuck Up & Stupid cast.
The combination makes the project particularly intriguing.
Both women are strongly associated with entertainment and reality television, yet this production places them in an ensemble drama built around character, relationships and a modern romantic story rather than the unscripted formats audiences have come to associate with them.
For Julia in particular, that change could prove significant.
The Connection That Goes Back More Than a Decade
There is also a fascinating link between Julia’s latest role and one of the most important scripted chapters of her career.
Julia previously starred as Gemma Crabb in Nine’s House Husbands, which ran for five seasons between 2012 and 2017. The comedy-drama became one of her most prominent acting roles, placing her alongside Gary Sweet and an ensemble cast in a story about modern family life. Screen Australia lists Julia among the principal cast of the series.
And the connection to Stuck Up & Stupid runs through television executive Michael Healy.
In an interview about House Husbands, creators Ellie Beaumont and Drew Proffitt revealed that Julia had been speaking with Nine’s Michael Healy about potential projects when he suggested her for the role.
Beaumont recalled that they were excited by the idea of Julia joining the series, saying she brought something special to the character of Gemma.
More than a decade later, the same industry relationship has resurfaced at a very different point in Julia’s career.
The Timing Could Hardly Be More Interesting
Julia’s new acting opportunity comes after a major change to the television landscape around her.
Network 10 announced in May that I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! would be “rested” for 2027, saying the network was reshaping its content slate across platforms. The broadcaster also said it looked forward to working with Julia Morris and Robert Irwin on other projects.
The decision did not mark the end of the franchise.
In July, Seven confirmed it had acquired I’m A Celebrity for 2027, meaning the format itself will continue on a rival network. However, Seven has not confirmed who will host the new season, leaving the future of the previous presenting team uncertain.
Julia had been the show’s longest-serving presenter, first appearing alongside Dr Chris Brown when the Australian version launched in 2015 before later co-hosting with Robert Irwin. That long association made her one of the defining personalities of the franchise.
Now, instead of immediately following the format to its new home, she is exploring another part of her career.
Beyond the Comedy Persona
For years, Julia’s television identity has been built around comedy — loud, spontaneous, mischievous and deliberately unpredictable.
But that has not always been the full story.
Her work on House Husbands showed that she was equally comfortable inside a scripted ensemble, and Stuck Up & Stupid offers another opportunity to step away from the version of Julia audiences have seen repeatedly on reality television.
The Daily Mail has reported that people around Julia see the acting move as an opportunity to remind audiences of her wider credentials and explore a side of her career that can sometimes be overshadowed by her comedy persona.
That interpretation comes from unnamed sources rather than Julia herself, but the career shift is visible regardless: one of Australia’s best-known reality hosts is now returning to a scripted production with an ensemble that spans some of the country’s most recognisable television and entertainment names.
A New Chapter — But Not a Goodbye to the Old One
What makes Julia’s next move particularly interesting is that it does not necessarily represent the end of her reality-TV career.
I’m A Celebrity remains part of the Australian television landscape, now under Seven, while Julia’s own future with the franchise has yet to be confirmed.
Instead, Stuck Up & Stupid gives her something she has not had to do in quite the same way for years: step into a scripted world and allow audiences to see her through a different lens.
After so long being the person making everyone else laugh, Julia Morris may now be preparing to remind viewers of the performer who was there long before the jungle, the challenges and the outrageous one-liners.
And that may be the most unexpected part of her next chapter.