With his broad smile and famous moustache, Tony Armstrong is one of the best-known faces on Australian television… and he’s also one of the most unpredictable.
The former AFL star might have taken the expected route into media by moving to the commentary desk of NITV’s Yokayi Footy, then on to ABC TV and radio for a range of football and other sport-related roles when his playing career ended in 2015.
Ever since, however, it’s been anything goes for the versatile presenter. He’s hosted morning radio, morning television, popped up as a regular guest on The Project, presented Play School, voiced a Turtle for an animated kids’ series, written books, and presented documentary series on everything from how dogs became part of our lives to how we can tackle invasive species.
And that’s not even close to a complete list.
“You know how, when you’re a kid and you’re told not to touch something and you just have to touch it?” Tony, 35, tells TV WEEK. “Well, I’ve got a bit of that in me. Whenever I hear people go, “Oh, that’s who he is. That’s how we sum him up”, I have this thing inside me that gets my back up, you know?”
And instantly, there’s another direction to his career.
It’s led to his incredibly varied CV, two TV WEEK Logie Awards (the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent in 2022 and the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter in 2023, plus a nomination for the Gold Logie in 2024) and a strong hint that 2025 will be even bigger.
On the home front, his priority is to spend more time with his partner, Rona Glynn-McDonald (who appears in Tony’s latest project, Eat The Invaders), admitting, “We’ve been spending a lot of time together, which is a rare for us.”
And at work, he’s confirmed “a few creative projects are in the works, including another documentary, called Endgame, about how racism in sport is tackled worldwide” to fill the gap left by his departure from the ABC’s News Breakfast after three-and-a-half years.
And of course, in typical Tony style, there’s something out of left field.
“I’m starting to get interested in the scripted world as well,” Tony says.
So, does this mean he could end up the new Aussie action-movie hero? Or the rom-com star we’ve been looking for?
“Whatever!” he says with a laugh. “Here’s the thing: it’s whatever’s interesting, right? When it comes to work stuff, I start looking outside what I’m doing once I feel like I can do what I’m doing, if that makes sense? For instance, the second I know how to surf, I’m like, ‘All right, that’s cool – what else can I do?’
“Obviously, this is a career and this is my life, so I can’t be too flippant about it, but I try to get good at stuff and then, once I am, I try to add to the skill set with something different… so literally whatever’s interesting!”
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