Samantha Armytage has worked her way up the Nine ladder just weeks after it was announced the network had hired her following her departure from Seven.
The TV presenter, 48, will become a ‘substitute’ for Today while regular presenters Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo go on holiday over the summer.
Sam, who once hosted Seven’s rival breakfast show Sunrise, will co-host with Weekend Today star Clint Stanaway, it has been reported. The daily telegraph on Sunday.
The journalist will ‘wake up with Today’ for a week and a half, taking advantage of her eight years of experience as a presenter on Sunrise (2013-2021) on the rival bench.
A source went on to say that Sam’s move to the highly sought-after position has irritated other experienced women at the network.
They suggested that some employees are surprised that nine veterans like Sylvia Jeffreys, who currently co-hosts Today Extra, have been passed over for the job.
Samantha Armytage, 48, (pictured) has worked her way up the Nine ladder just weeks after it was announced the network had hired her following her departure from Seven.
“Eyebrows have been raised because there are women who have been in that network for decades… who have been overlooked for this role,” the source said.
“There is also concern for Sarah Abo, who might feel intimidated if Sam keeps her seat warm.”
However, it appears Sam was initially reluctant to take on the role, with the source claiming Nine’s TV boss Michael Healy was behind the push to cast her on Today.
On the same day reports of the move emerged, Sam wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph, talking about the big changes happening in his life right now.
‘I have loved and lost. I have laughed and cried. And I laughed until I cried, which occasionally, when a woman gets older, means a little urine comes out,’ she said.
‘I am stronger, but more vulnerable. I have learned discernment, acceptance and patience (to a point).
“I have come to a very content place on the river, where I am happy with the person I have become and excited for the adventures that await me upstream.”
A Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: “Today’s summer accommodation schedule will be confirmed soon.”
Sam was originally the host of Sunrise, alongside David Koch (right), from 2013 to 2021.
Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Sam’s representatives for comment.
It comes just weeks after Sam revealed what it was like to ‘get divorced’ from his long-time employer Seven and jump to rival network Nine.
The former Farmer Wants A Wife presenter quit Seven after 21 years and fled to Nine, where she will now present The Golden Bachelor Australia.
Speaking about the shock move to the Kyle and Jackie O Show earlier this month, the former Sunrise star said Nine has been “very welcoming”.
Shock host Kyle Sandilands began the interview with a very direct question: “What was it like when you cheated (on Seven)? Was it difficult to cheat?”
As Sam laughed at the comment, Kyle, 53, added: “Did Channel Nine invite you and you fell in love with the dinners and limos?”
The TV personality gently sidestepped the question and replied: ‘Channel Nine, you’ve been very welcoming. Very cozy indeed.
“It’s been a really nice step for me and a really good start at this age.”
The TV presenter will become a ‘deputy’ for Today while regular presenters Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo (both pictured) go on holiday over the summer.
He continued: ‘We’re all getting older… As you get older, you look for something different. You want to have a fresh start at this time in life.’
Sam also revealed to 2GB’s Ben Fordham why she left Sunrise in 2021 after eight years as co-host of the breakfast show.
‘Look, I’ve had enough. I’ve done it for a long time. You know what those hours are like, it’s quite exhausting,’ he said.
Sam added that he “used to get a lot of attention” from Sunrise, which was becoming “quite active.”
“I just needed a break,” he continued.
‘The time was right and life had changed. I just got married, my mother had died, everything had changed and I knew it was the right time.
“I had had enough, and you know I like a good horse metaphor: I had ridden it to the top, I had done everything I could, and it was a good time to get out.”
After 21 years at Seven, Sam jumped to Nine and, after much speculation, was confirmed as host of reality dating show The Golden Bachelor.