Sarah Abo is months from going on maternity leave but no replacement has been announced.
Sarah Abo is set to leave Karl Stefanovic on the Today hosting desk, and Jayne Azzopardi has been floated as the current frontrunner to replace her.
(TheTodayShow/Instagram)
Channel 9 is under pressure to find a maternity leave replacement for Today host Sarah Abo, and a “frontrunner” may have emerged.
Sarah is in her third trimester and joked on the Today set this week that it was getting hard to breathe at this stage of pregnancy.
A date has not been set for when she will leave her hosting duties and start maternity leave — nor has a replacement.
However, Nine insiders told news.com.au that Today newsreader Jayne Azzopardi had emerged as a frontrunner as Today Extra co-host Sylvia Jeffreys commands a “higher salary” and executives are concerned about her dynamics with Karl Stefanovic, her brother-in-law.
Jayne has been with the Nine Network since 2009 and has done virtually every job on the breakfast TV beat, from Weekend Today co-host to political reporter.
Media commentator Andrew Mercado told Yahoo Lifestyle that it was very likely Nine would look internally for Sarah’s temporary replacement.
“They’ll move someone in-house…they’ll be able to get one of their many female reporters to do a stand-in while she has maternity leave,” he said.
Today has been in a decades-long ratings battle with Channel 7’s breakfast program Sunrise, and Andrew said any type of shake-up in the lineup could cause panic with viewers, putting more weight on the decision.
“Because audiences keep falling away, it’s making everybody in television terrified to make any sort of decision that involves a change,” Andrew said.
“They’re so terrified that if they make the wrong move, they’ll lose more viewers.”
Fans recently called for former host Lisa Wilkinson to reprise her role after she made a dramatic return to promote her new book, The Titanic Story of Evelyn.
But Lisa, now focused on books and speaking engagements, is not likely to jump at an offer to return to the breakfast grind and the 3am starts that come with it.
Looking at the rest of the Nine stable, Today show’s current lineup of female presenters includes:
- Jayne Azzopardi
- Sylvia Jeffries
- Davina Smith
- Lara Vella
- Gabrielle Boyle
- Izabella Staskowski
Sylvia has been with Channel 9 for more than a decade and is already familiar with the program format, hosting Today Extra with David Campbell.
She could be a low-risk choice who could step in with minimal disruption for the audience.
But, Sylvia is married to Karl’s brother Peter, which could impact the show’s existing chemistry.
Sylvia Jeffreys is married to Karl’s brother, Peter Stefanovic.
(Instagram/sylviajeffreys)
Today has been known to parachute in talent from the wider Nine Network.
Former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage signed up with Nine in 2024 to host The Golden Bachelor.
She was even called upon to cover the Today desk for a few weeks in December when Karl and Sarah took a break. A role she also took the previous year.
She would be a wildcard contender, but has also had her fair share of early wake-ups.
Samantha told Yahoo Lifestyle in November that she was “very happy in prime time”.
Another big hitter for Nine is Allison Langdon.
Allison’s previous stint on Today, between 2020 and 2023, could give her a unique advantage, having already proven her on-screen chemistry with Karl — a key ingredient in breakfast TV success.
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The pairing marked one of the show’s more stable recent eras, and she certainly is an internal candidate with credibility and audience familiarity.
However, Nine appears committed to its decision in keeping Allison at the helm of A Current Affair — a flagship primetime role.
Jayne could be a very strong contender for the role.
Nine declined to comment when contacted by Yahoo Lifestyle.