Truth about Samantha Armytage's new role with Nine amid 'crisis meetings'

An insider has told Yahoo Lifestyle the truth about Samantha Armytage's future on Today after it was revealed she will temporarily fill in for hosts Sarah Abo and Karl Stefanovic for a week and a half over the summer break with Clint Stanaway. Samantha left Seven this year, moving to Nine to host the Golden Bachelor.

It comes after Woman's Day reported there were "crisis meetings" about Samantha's role on Today. A source said, "There have been crisis meetings back to back since Sam was signed – the fact is the big bosses did not listen to the team when they objected to Sam coming on board."

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They added, "Recently, when Sarah was going on leave, the big bosses apparently wanted Sam to be fill-in host with Karl. But when poor Sarah got wind of her replacement she was, according to colleagues, rightly upset. What followed was a huge push-back, and management bowed to Sarah, cancelling Sam, and instead putting Sylvia [Jeffreys] on as a safer option."

According to the publication, the decision was made to prove former Sunrise star Samantha is "still the Queen of breakfast TV" with many fans now questioning if bosses plan on having her "replace" Sarah in 2025.

Despite the endless speculation and media reports, Yahoo Lifestyle understands there’s "no plan" for Sarah to leave her role on Today, and there are two simple reasons behind the bold decision to have Samantha sit in her seat over the summer.

A network source says: "Having Samantha back on breakfast is like a big F-you to Seven and Sunrise. The networks love getting one over each other and this won’t just annoy [bosses at] Seven but will ensure weeks of press reminding them that they lost their golden girl."

The insider added that having Samantha on-air for two weeks will also "remind viewers Nine is now her home" and "prepare them for what they’ve got planned in 2025" with The Golden Bachelor.

It is understood that until The Golden Bachelor airs in the second half of 2025, Nine "will use" Samantha where they can across the network to "increase her presence" ahead of its airing.

Samantha Armytage's surprising final demand before leaving Channel Seven

Farmer Wants A Wife fans were thrilled when it was announced earlier this month that longtime host Natalie Gruzlewski will be returning as the show’s main presenter in 2025. The former Getaway star has hosted the reality show since season one in 2007, however, she was relegated to co-host when Samantha joined the series.

Natalie’s position was reinstated when Sam recently left Channel Seven and joined rival network Channel Nine to host The Golden Bachelor, and it turns out the former Sunrise anchor may have had something to do with it. A Channel Seven insider tells Yahoo Lifestyle that Sam’s final demand before leaving the network was that they "rehire Natalie".

"Sam tried to avoid the comments section on social media but simply couldn't escape the amount of fans pleading for Natalie's return. The fans seemed to notice two different styles between the hosts and many believed Natalie was more natural with the way she connected with not just the farmers but the women as well," our source shares.

"Sam was unfortunately at the forefront of the backlash from the loyal fans when taking over from Natalie in 2023 and while the decision to swap the hosts in the last two seasons wasn't her decision, she did feel the burn from viewers."

The insider adds that although the two women were pitted against each other in the media, they "actually got along really well".

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"They could have easily butted heads over the decision, but they managed to forge a friendship and found a lot of mutual admiration for each other," they share.

"The response to Natalie’s return online has been extremely positive and there has been an increase in applicants. There’s also hope that viewers will see less constructed drama and more focus on finding these farmers true love."

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