Karl Stefanovic has been cultivating Samantha Armytage as television talent – and a prospective future on-screen partner – for a decade.

Karl Stefanovic has been cultivating Samantha Armytage as television talent – and a prospective future on-screen partner – for a decade.

The association began around 2013 when the woman who purportedly manages Stefanovic’s career, Sharon Finnigan, signed Armytage to her talent stable.

It was reported at the time that Stefanovic had played a key role in enticing Armytage into his manager’s stable.

2013 was also the year Armytage replaced Mel Doyle in the anchor chair of Seven’s Sunrise program, a move that would pitch Armytage into the big time and a higher pay bracket.

Since the earliest days of his association with Finnigan, a former Parramatta League Club events and PR staffer, there have been claims Stefanovic was an investor in Finnigan’s business, Sharon Finnigan Management.

Finnigan has previously denied this.

They were on rival networks for years, but Stefanovic and Armytage have always maintained a good relationship. Picture: Richard Dobson
The lines have certainly been blurred with Stefanovic listing a series of private companies – including a management company, OMG, which he started jointly with Finnigan and AFL star Buddy Franklin in 2015 – to Finnigan’s home address in Baulkham Hills.

Finnigan and Armytage would end their association that same year after, as it was reported at the time, after falling out.

It was further claimed Armytage had accused Finnigan of favouring Franklin’s future wife, model Jesinta Campbell, another of Stefanovic’s friends and a contributor to Nine’s Today show.

Stefanovic would refer to Armytage, as he did Campbell, his “sister” and to cultivate the friendship his TV breakfast rival would fly to Melbourne in 2014 to party with “Karlos” at his 40th birthday celebrations.

He would also leap onto Twitter to defend Armytage after this writer criticised the failed Seven program Bringing Sexy Back, which she hosted.

Meanwhile he remained remarkably silent when his on-air Today show co-anchor for a decade, Lisa Wilkinson, came routinely under attack from the media.

Karl has stuck up for Sam over the years. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis
Shortly after a report emerged in The Australian’s Media Diary on Monday claiming Nine is in talks with Armytage to replace Sarah Abo on Today, news.com.au forwarded to Nine a series of questions.

Nine was yet to respond at publication time.

Armytage’s one-year contract with the broadcaster, inked last October according to reports, is due to lapse this month.

She is said to be eager to re-sign with Nine which also produces The Golden Bachelor, which she hosts.

Nine sources said TV executives were impressed with Armytage’s “screen test” for Today during the 2024/2025 summer.

Installing Armytage is expected to mean current co-anchor Sarah Abo would be axed from the show – a move that could come at the expense of Nine’s resurgent Melbourne audience.