What committed how long has he been on this show…that shows commitment!
Someone at the network has to approve this leave or just maybe it’s in his contract to have certain amount of holidays per year.
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Why would the paps be waiting for him on a Thursday - wouldn’t it be more likely that if they were waiting it would be on a Friday. The explanation/excuse doesn’t ring true. What would they see that was different to his usual routine if he left at the end of the show on Thursday rather than half way through? Leaving early only highlights that something was different and there was a story worth following.
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That’s the whole point. He left on Thursday, so they had no idea. If he left on Friday, they would have been following him knowing he was on a break next week.
It did eventually but by then he was already gone. It’s a bad look, to be leaving the show early to go on holidays.
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But if the paps are usually waiting on Friday, why did he need to leave early on Thursday to avoid them?
PS I don’t really care 
[quote=“TV.Cynic, post:1780, topic:101”]
But if the paps are usually waiting on Friday, why did he need to leave early on Thursday to avoid them? [/quote] To throw them off the scent completely and because that’s when the private jet was available? 
[quote=“TV.Cynic, post:1780, topic:101”]
PS I don’t really care 
[/quote]I care even less. Just explaining.
I honestly couldn’t care less about what TV presenters get up to in their private lives and think it’s absolutely shameful that some of the media use this as fodder to sell newspapers/magazines and get clicks online.
But if this sort of thing is effecting the show (eg, leaving Today halfway through the show to presumably go on a holiday), I think I agree with those who’re saying that Karl Stefanovic needs to step aside from Today and let someone else have a go at co-hosting alongside Lisa Wilkinson. If anything, the departure of Karl would probably rejuvenate Today.
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@SydneyCityTV Why does this remind of me Samantha Armytage same time last year? (Holidays here and there).
In fact, because Karl has been ‘on leave’ or ‘on assignment’ for so long, I doubt they will have a chance of taking ‘Australia’s No.1 Breakfast Show’ from Sunrise this year.
On another note, do we know if Fordham is still filling in or will someone else fill in from tomorrow?
You do know that Ben Fordham will likely get the gig? I would rather Karl any day.
Ben should be filling-in for most of the week.
I think that is already safe to say.
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Oh lord that would be horrific. Ben Fordham should stick to what he’s best at (IMO anyway): 2GB and ACA!
I’d love to see Tom Steinfort get the position when Karl steps down, but realistically I know that’s not going to happen because Nine wouldn’t take a gamble on a fairly new presenter of Weekend Today and also someone who’s relatively unknown outside of Sydney.
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Nine probably has their eye on Nate Byrne to replace Karl given recent hiring decisions (the fact that most of you will need to google that name says it all).
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Monday (19.06.17) - Tuesday (20.06.17): Ben Fordham is co-hosting with Lisa.
Today is announcing this morning the locations for next week’s We Love Australia tour, to celebrate 35 years of Today.
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Where’s Wally Karl?
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###TODAY CELEBRATES 35 YEARS
WITH A SPECIAL WE LOVE AUSTRALIA WEEK
TODAY will celebrate its 35th birthday next week with an extra weird and wacky WE LOVE AUSTRALIA trip beginning Monday, June 26, and finishing with a massive party at the Channel Nine studios on Friday, June 30.
The celebration will star a host of TODAY friends from over the years and feature very special LIVE performances by former One Direction member and now successful solo artist and songwriter, Niall Horan.
Karl, Lisa, Richard, Tim and Sylvia’s adventures will begin with a special program showcasing the Great Barrier Reef, broadcast from Hamilton Island in the picturesque Whitsundays. Sylvia dives Hardy Reef to see how scientists are ensuring this incredible natural wonder is preserved for future generations. And the team check in with locals on how the world-renowned tourist region has bounced back from Cyclone Debbie.
The gang then head inland to Queensland’s sheep and cattle town of Winton where they’ll get down and dirty – digging and exploring for Australia’s largest dinosaur fossils. Broadcasting from outside the North Gregory Hotel, they’ll also be treated to a special performance by Australian country music star Adam Harvey, compete in the extreme sport of dunny racing, and host a free breakfast BBQ for all the Winton locals.
On Wednesday Karl, Lisa and the team head to the heart of Kelly country – taking TODAY to the Victorian township of Glenrowan, the site of the final siege and capture of Ned Kelly and his gang.
They will chat with one of Ned’s descendants who will tell us what sort of person the legendary bushranger really was behind the iconic suit of armour. There will be a re-enactment of Ned Kelly’s last stand, and the team will also get out and about checking out Glenrowan’s other great tourist offerings, including wineries, an Italian cooking school, canoeing and bike riding.
TODAY then heads north to the New South Wales town of Dubbo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo for a jam-packed morning. It will include a visit to the Old Dubbo Gaol, the Japanese Gardens and local dairies. Karl, Lisa and Tim will get immersed in zoo life, up close and personal with hippos, elephants, giraffes, meerkats, cheetahs, tigers, lions and monkeys. Plus, they will be asking viewers to help name the zoo’s baby hippo.
Then on Friday, Karl, Lisa, Richard, Sylvia, Tim, Natalia and Ross regroup at the Channel Nine studios in Sydney for a landmark 35th birthday morning of celebrations – featuring a performance by global sensation Niall Horan. This will be Niall’s first ever solo appearance on Australian television, performing his mega hits Slow Hands and This Town.
We will also be reuniting TODAY hosts from the past 35 years, including the very first hosts, Steve Liebmann and Sue Kellaway, as well as Liz Hayes, Tracy Grimshaw, Monty Dwyer and many more.
Lisa Wilkinson said: “This really will be a very special week for all of us here at TODAY. Apart from beginning the week in the stunning Whitsundays – and travelling around this beautiful country of ours – we’ll get to celebrate our 35th birthday with all the amazing people who have helped to make this the wonderful program it is today. It promises to be an extraordinary week for our viewers.”
Karl Stefanovic said: “This is pure Australia. Reef, Outback, Ned Kelly, lethal animals. And Niall. Niall! I love this country. Just a bit worried about all those legendary TODAY Show hosts coming on and reminding people how good they are.”
And it wouldn’t be the TODAY show without a whole heap of competitions. As well as the hugely popular Block of Cash calls and Dickie’s Double Dip, TODAY will be giving away a night at the Western Plains Zoo’s zoofari lodge and zoo passes. And thanks to our friends at Harvey Norman and Samsung, TODAY will be giving viewers the chance to win 35 SAMSUNG Q7 55” QLED televisions. Be watching TODAY every day this week to find out how you can win.
TODAY would like to thank the following sponsors for making this WE LOVE AUSTRALIA trip possible: Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Tourism Events Queensland, Gabrielli Construction, Vision Splendour Film Festival, Winton Shire Council and Destination NSW.
WE LOVE AUSTRALIA week locations:
MONDAY 26 JUNE – Hamilton Island, QLD
TUESDAY 27 JUNE – Winton, QLD
WEDNESDAY 28 JUNE – Glenrowan, VIC
THURSDAY, 29 JUNE – Dubbo, NSW
FRIDAY 30 JUNE – Sydney NSW
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Should be called “We love the East Coast” 
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The Australian has published a more plausible explanation for Karl’s early departure from the show.
"His sudden departure in the middle of Thursday’s Today show was apparently down to the fog issues at Sydney Airport playing havoc with flights. "
Including a trip to far away Sydney 
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So Sydney is just in the studio then? No wonder Sunrise gets all the good musical acts.
Mind you Niall is a massive get my Nine, probably one of their biggest in years. Although, I do agree, they should go fully Sunrise-style with an OB for the performance, even if it was at Circular Quay.
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