Channel Nine is investigating claims of a heated on-set incident between star news presenter Georgie Gardner and staff last month.
The confrontation is believed to have taken place off-air after Gardner, 54, finished reading the Sydney news bulletin.
A young staff member made a complaint and Nine has launched an internal investigation, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
“It’s the talk of the newsroom right now,” a source told the publication.
Gardner did not appear on the show for two weeks after the alleged incident, but his absence was unrelated and was classified as “scheduled leave.”
“People were upset by the incident, but when they thought she had been sidelined for a few weeks, they could handle it,” a source said.
Gardner returned to her news anchor schedule on Sept. 13 and anchored Friday and Saturday nights.
Nine did not comment on the allegation when contacted by The Sunday Telegraph, instead saying in a statement: “Georgie Gardner is a long-serving and highly respected member of our Nine News team. We are not commenting further.”
Channel Nine is investigating an alleged incident between news presenter Georgie Gardner (pictured), 54, and a young member of staff on set last month.
Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Nine for comment.
Gardner is a presenter on Nine News in Sydney and reads the 6pm bulletin on Friday and Saturday nights.
Gardner joined the network in 2002 and began her time at Nine as a weather presenter and hosting afternoon updates.
In 2006, she replaced Leila McKinnon as presenter of National Nine News Morning Edition and became a news presenter on the Today show for eight years.
Gardner was also appointed weekend news anchor for 6 p.m. in 2009, while still co-hosting the Today show.
She left her position at Today in 2014 to spend more time with her family, but continued to do occasional reporting for 60 Minutes and 9News.
The alleged incident took place off-air, but still on set, after Gardner (pictured last month) had finished reading the news bulletin from Sydney.
A young staff member made a complaint and Nine has launched an internal investigation into the matter. Pictured: Channel Nine headquarters in Sydney
The blonde presenter then replaced Lisa Wilkinson on the Today show in 2018 and sat alongside Karl Stefanovic on Channel Nine’s breakfast show for a year.
She then co-hosted the show with Deborah Knight in 2019.
Last year, Gardner spoke out about why her co-hosting role alongside Karl Stefanovic didn’t work out.
Speaking on the It’s All Her podcast, Gardner shared details about the job and said it was a “privilege” to take on the role.
But with issues surrounding Stefanovic’s very public divorce from ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn, as well as his relationship with current wife Jasmine Yarbrough, things began to take a toll within the studio.
“Unfortunately, there were things that were beyond my control and that made my stay short,” he said.
‘I spent a year hosting Karl, which was a lot of fun. But it was also a period in his personal life when a lot of things were happening. And there was a lot of noise.
“We were never able to get it made public because there was always so much speculation about his private life. It was very hard for him and for us.”
The journalist later denied previous reports about the strained relationship between the couple.
“We really got along and liked each other a lot and had great chemistry,” she continued.
“Anyway, one thing led to another: he was taken off the show. In fact, everyone was taken off it, which was very, very difficult for me.”
Stefanovic was fired from the Today show before Deborah Knight joined Gardner in 2019.
But after giving the show a complete overhaul and bringing in new presenters, Gardner hinted the breakfast show was still struggling and decided to step down.
“There came a point where I realized it wasn’t going to work. So I gracefully walked off the stage and continued with my news, which is what I continue to do today,” Gardner added.
Gardner joined the network in 2002 and began her time at Nine as a weather presenter and presenting afternoon updates.
Gardner was confirmed as the long-awaited replacement for Lisa Wilkinson six years ago.
But the stage with Stefanovic lasted little, with The Sunday Telegraph stating at the time that the couple “can’t stand each other.”
According to the publication, Gardner only agreed to do the Channel Nine show “after being assured she would only have to do one year with Karl”, however a spokesperson for the network dismissed the report as “rubbish”.
Stefanovic considered Georgie to be a person with “no sense of humour” while she in turn saw him as someone with an “expansive ego”, News Corp said.
Gardner is said to have only agreed to host Today on the condition that she wouldn’t have to work with Karl for long.
“She joined the show after being assured she would only have to work for one year with Karl,” an unnamed senior executive told The Sunday Telegraph at the time.
“After that, he will leave and Nine will look for another actor and he will be able to work with someone else.”
Stefanovic “agreed” to Gardner’s conditions because she had been “agitating” to leave Today for a while, the story claimed.
However, a Channel Nine representative said the report was untrue, telling Daily Mail Australia: “That’s nonsense.”
Six years ago, Gardner was confirmed as the long-awaited replacement for Lisa Wilkinson on the Today show. But her stint alongside Karl Stefanovic Stefanovic (left) was short-lived
