Sam Armytage has addressed industry rumours while current Today co-host Sarah Abo’s $800k contract hangs in the balance.

Trust Kyle Sandilands to ask Sam Armytage the question on everybody’s lips when she dropped by KIIS FM in Sydney on Monday morning.

Appearing on The Kyle & Jackie O Show to promote Nine’s new dating series The Golden Bachleor, which premeries tonight, Armytage spoke of her excitement for the show alongside this year’s leading man, Bear Myrden.

But Sandilands soon steered the conversation to the rumours which emerged last week about the former Sunrise host returning to breakfast TV and replacing Sarah Abo on the Today show as Karl Stefanovic’s co-host.

Samantha Armytage appeared on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on Monday with Gold Bachelor star Bear Myrden.
“What’s the rumours of the Today show thing now? Is that just hyped-up rubbish, or has anyone from Nine ever said to you, ‘Would you consider doing early mornings again?’ Or is this just made up lies from the newspaper?” Sandilands asked her on air.

“No one has said that to me. And you know rumours,” she replied. “Kyle, you know how this game works. No one said it. You know, obviously this week has been busy because I’m doing lots of publicity for [The Golden Bachelor].”

“So, I think it’s kind of, you know, it’s gone hand in glove that there’s a chant about that after Golden Bachelor.”

Armytage was quickly asked to address the Today show rumours.
Jackie “O” Henderson pressed further by asking, “Would you consider doing that? I mean, not that we want to see anyone lose a job or anything, but that hypothetical. How would you answer?”

“Well, I wouldn’t answer that hypothetical, Jackie,” Armytage replied.

Sandilands then joked that “there’s got to be real cash on the table, Jackie”, but Armytage insisted she was happy with her new hosting gig.

“I’m really happy in prime time. This is what I came to Channel 9 for,” said Armytage, who defected to Nine in October 2024, leaving the Seven Network after 21 years.

She departed her gig on Sunrise in 2023 after eight years and went on to host Seven’s dating series Farmer Wants A Wife for two seasons before jumping ship to Nine.

Reports claim Armytage will replace Sarah Abo was Karl Stefanovic’s co-host.
“I think Karl and Sarah are fabulous,” Armytage added on air. “This is where it’s at for me. I’m really happy. This is my show. It’s on air tonight. Finally. It’s been a few months because we filmed earlier in the year, so it’s been a long time to get here.”

Armytage and Myrden also promoted The Golden Bachelor on the Today show this morning, with the veteran anchor awkwardly facing Abo on live TV for the first time since the hosting rumours spread.

“We are so excited to welcome to the studio the Golden Batch himself, The Bear, and the show’s host, Samantha Armytage. Nice to see you guys,” Stefanovic said as he welcomed the duo.

“Thank God someone’s back at the network who can make some headlines, apart from me.”

“Yes, I’m taking all the heat off you, Karl,” she replied as Abo politely looked on and smiled.

It was last week that a bombshell report exposed rumoured plans to dump Abo in favour of Armytage.

The Australian’s Media Diary reported last Monday that major talks are currently underway among executives at Nine HQ in Sydney, as the network hatches a desperate bid to finally topple number 1 competitor, Sunrise, in the breakfast ratings war come 2026 – and Armytage could be the key factor.

According to Sandilands, his good friend Stefanovic is happy with Abo, his co-host of two years.
“We hear Nine’s television kingmaker Michael Healy has made no secret of the fact he believes pairing Armytage and Stefanovic could prove the key to toppling Seven’s Sunrise and that the duo had long been his ‘dream’ Today show line-up,” Diary’s Steve Jackson wrote.

Armytage filed in for Abo in December last year as co-host on Today, which was deemed a testing of the waters for her potential breakfast TV comeback.

Abo could be on the out as she attempts to renegotiate her own contract extension with Nine. News.com.au hears that she has been left upset after her negotiations are said to have stalled while Nine prioritised Stefanovic’s contract talks.

It is claimed he recently agreed to extend his $3 million annual contract in the last week or so. Abo, who is on much less than Stefanovic’s salary at $800,000 per year, has sought a pay rise from next year, which could open the door for executives to go in a different direction.