Eurovision Australia’s newest hosts, Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act are excited for their glittery new roles, but for Tony, his journey from the ABC News Breakfast desk to the iconic pop stage of Eurovision hasn’t been an easy journey, despite what some might think.
“Nothing is guaranteed in this industry,” Tony, 35, tells TV WEEK. “Every day I was second-guessing my decision to leave News Breakfast – I was really nervous.
“But the mornings were really getting to me. Towards the end of my time there I was really struggling.”
When the ex-AFL player left News Breakfast, he was chasing more flexibility in his career – and that is exactly how he landed the role as Eurovision host, something he might never have otherwise considered.
The 2025 song contest will be held in Basel, Switzerland, and is showcasing talent from 37 countries, with coverage lasting four days.
“It’s all going to be a whirlwind,” Tony predicts. “I think it’s going to be bigger than I could ever have expected.”
While Tony is new to the glamorous and eccentric world of Eurovision, his co-host and friend, Aussie drag queen Courtney Act (whose real name is Shane Jenek), was SBS’s backstage Eurovision correspondent in 2024 and will show him the ropes.
“Tony’s going to be in awe of the magnitude and the seriousness [of the event],” Courtney, 43, tells TV WEEK.
“It’s funny to call Eurovision serious, but it is the biggest stage in the world for pop music, and hundreds of millions of people are watching this event.
“And I think we both have it in us to tear up the dance floor once the job’s done!”
Courtney, who has also appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Celebrity Big Brother, is a die-hard Eurovision fan and was ecstatic to learn she was returning to host again.
“I’ve got all my outfits planned already,” she says with a laugh. “I’m trying to work out the weight limit on the plane, and whether somebody from SBS can lug an extra suitcase or two for me.”
While Courtney cannot wait to host, she feels she still hasn’t hit her Eurovision peak – and she reveals her secret goals for the future and what she’s learnt about herself as she prepares for the big gig.
“I am Eurovision,” Courtney declares. “It took going last year to feel the spirit of Eurovision and realise it’s similar to what I do in my career. I’d love to compete one day.
“I feel like I was born to represent Australia at Eurovision.”
While Courtney is a loud and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Shane grew up feeling ashamed of his alter ego, only coming out in the early 2000s after moving to Sydney from his hometown of Brisbane.
“It’s really amazing to think that what I was most ashamed of when I was 18, 19, 20 has actually become my greatest strength,” Shane says. “There’s something deeply important in the fact that we were made to feel ashamed of our identity, but are now shining a light on it and exploring it instead.”
Coming out to his parents was hard, but made easier by the fact that they had both grown up around gay icons.
“When I came out to Mum and Dad, they said, ‘Do you know someone called Carlotta?’” Shane says, referring to the famed cabaret performer and LGBTQ+ advocate. “My mum worked at a bar in the 1970s in Kings Cross, so she knew all those icons.”
Growing up in ‘smalltown’ Brisbane made it difficult for Shane to feel comfortable in his own skin, except for at a place called Fame Performing Arts, where he could sing, dance and act.
“I could go there and express myself and it was a similar feeling to the freedom of Eurovision,” he recalls. “It’s a place where you can be yourself. I was always very grateful for that as a kid, having that place where I could just skip around and twirl and have fun and nobody cared… But then I had to put my school uniform back on.”
Today, Courtney is happy that, in a time when the world often feels dark, Eurovision and its celebration of all people feels like a “reprieve from the craziness”.
“Having queer performances celebrated on a global stage is so exciting,” she gushes. “Rather than being sucked into the talking points about why people want to take away queer rights, I prefer to celebrate who I am. Having fun and being joyful doesn’t feel like activism, but I think it is. Existing, being visible and being glamorous is resistance.”
For Tony, the job is also a refreshing contrast to his previous career as a footballer for Adelaide Football Club, Sydney Swans and Collingwood Football Club, which he says was the hardest job he’s ever had.
“In broadcasting, if you make a mistake, everyone tries to help you,” he explains.
“In professional sport, mistakes matter. They can cost you your team.”
Where to watch Eurovision 2025 in Australia:
You can watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Australia from Wednesday to Sunday, 14 May to Sunday 18 May, at 5am each morning for live streaming, and Friday 14 May to Sunday 18 May at 7.30pm for prime time event coverage on SBS and SBS On Demand.
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