As the commentary around Karl Stefanovic’s departure from the Nine network continues, with an emotional Sarah Abo announcing the news on Today earlier this morning, eyes have turned to his former co-host Lisa Wilkinson, who worked alongside Karl for a decade.
Lisa Wilkinson famously made headlines in 2017, announcing, “I break up with Today,” following a bitter pay dispute largely driven by Nine’s refusal to equal her salary to Karl’s.
Now, for Lisa, watching Karl’s exit strategy play out has reportedly opened up some very old, very deep wounds. Despite leaving under a cloud of controversy, Karl has been flooded with support from well-wishers nationwide, a fact that is said to be driving Lisa up the wall.
“Lisa will be hating the fact that Karl is attracting so much support from well-wishers across the country,” a close source reveals. “She will be feeling rightly peeved that he has all the fanfare of a hero.”
According to the insider, history is simply repeating itself. During their 10 years co-hosting the Today show, Lisa was constantly frustrated by how differently they were perceived by the public.
“It was one of her biggest gripes working with him all those years that he always came out the lovable larrikin, while she was always incredibly polarising,” the source adds.
Karl and Lisa were co-hosts of Today for 10 years. (Credit: Nine)
Yet, behind closed doors, there is no doubt a sense that Lisa feels vindicated. After surviving her own highly publicised TV storms, seeing her former on-screen partner’s exit may have brought a smile to her face, now that Karl’s game at Nine is finally up.
However, that satisfaction may be short-lived. Lisa knows the media landscape better than anyone, and she knows Karl always has a safety net.
“Lisa is very smart, and it won’t be long before she realises that Karl will have had to have an exit plan,” the insider notes. “Annoyingly, she knows he’ll land on his feet and still find a way to get paid the big bucks.”
And there’s no chance the two will forge an on-screen reunion any time soon, with a source describing them as “polar opposites” especially when it comes to Karl’s conservative views.
Karl and Lisa will unlikely appear on TV screens together anytime soon. (Credit: Getty)
“Karl and Lisa’s political sway could not be more polar opposite. Lisa would loathe to be in the company of the sort of people Karl has been interviewing – she was known on the Today show as a bit of a pitbull towards many of their conservative-minded guests,” the source adds.
“Lisa would also look at that video clip of Karl clicking his heels and she would hate that because he gets to waltz away with more than a million bucks.
“One thing is certain, Lisa and Karl’s friendship won’t be rekindled anytime soon. She’d rather eat glass than go down that path again!”
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