She presented the program for more than a decade and was back in the building to talk about her three-year passion project.
Lisa Wilkinson has returned to the Channel 9 program she called home for more than 10 years.
The TV presenter hosted Today between 2007 and 2017 alongside Karl Stefanovic, but suddenly resigned due to “contract renewal” issues.
She jumped ship almost immediately to rival network Ten to co-host The Project.
Eight years after that dramatic twist, Lisa was back to talk about her new book.
She was all smiles as she sat next to Karl and Today host Sarah Abo, but admitted “it was weird” to be back in the building.
Karl agreed it was “strange”, but called out the incredible history he had with his former co-host.
“That whole period for me… we obviously had our ups and downs, but we had a lot of ups, and it was a very special period,” he said.
Sarah also joked that Lisa should “clear her calendar” in August when she goes on maternity leave.
Some of the duo’s best clips were played, including Karl licking a donut from Lisa’s finger, the awkward moment they aggressively played the Nintendo Wii, and the seemingly countless times they were left in stitches over small jokes or comments.
“Often I would say things to you, and I wouldn’t realise what I was saying until I would see your reaction,” Lisa said.
Sarah jumped in and said “that still happens today”.
“He has a way of reacting, doesn’t he, that catches you off guard?”
The chat then pivoted to Lisa’s new book about the only Australian-born survivor of the Titanic, which has been a three-year passion project.
Why did Lisa Wilkinson leave Today?
Karl and Lisa were a juggernaut duo in the Australian media landscape during their heyday.
They were in a constant ratings battle against Channel 7’s David Koch and Melissa Doyle on Sunrise.
But in October 2017, Lisa left the industry shocked when she revealed she had left the breakfast program.
“I’m sad to say that today was my last day on the Today Show,” she revealed in a tweet.
Her statement claimed Channel 9 was “unable to meet” her expectations “on a contract renewal for a further period”.
The network was “disappointed” that she was leaving but wished her well for her next adventure.
But Nine’s then-chief executive Hugh Marks later clarified rumours about the real reason behind her departure.
He said Lisa being editor-at-large with The Huffington Post “restricted” Nine’s ability “to engage with her digitally” and on social media.
“The reason we walked away from Lisa is because we are not able to secure those rights with her,” Hugh said.
“It’s not just a pay thing. We want people to partner with us, who are invested and want to go on the journey with us.”
“I have been a great supporter of women in our business in terms of salary equity and position, when we are discussing on-air talent we assess their contribution beyond just their gender, audience appeal, rights and contribution to the overall business – and not their own brand.