“Forget about me”: Furious TV star Samantha Armytage sparks an absolute red carpet meltdown as her highly toxic, deeply bitter Sunrise rivalry with Natalie Barr is violently reignited.
Samantha Armytage has finally addressed the relentless rumours of a bitter feud with her former Sunrise television rival Natalie Barr at the glamorous Logie Awards.
Speaking exclusively to the press on the glittering red carpet, the veteran television presenter firmly denied any long running speculation of a deep personal rift.
Looking visibly baffled by the persistent reports suggesting bad blood, Samantha completely dismissed the dramatic claims while boldly taking aim at the local media.
She fiercely criticized the highly problematic way female television personalities are constantly portrayed, wondering aloud why supposed rivalries between successful women are endlessly highlighted.
‘They always say there is a feud, what is this thing?’ the former breakfast television star questioned, appearing genuinely exhausted by the ongoing narrative.
Samantha accurately noted that intense disagreements between male television presenters go largely unnoticed, while women are unfairly targeted and constantly pitted against each other.
Timeline of Samantha Armytage & Natalie Barr’s Sunrise feud
July 2019: Nat jokingly calls Sam ‘a b***h-faced moll’ when asked if her colleague is as ‘nice’ as she appears to be on Sunrise.
March 2021: Sunrise co-host David Koch reveals he and Nat weren’t told about Sam’s star-studded farewell lunch at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney’s Rose Bay.
March 2021: Nat claps back at Sam’s claims that married women with children aren’t expected to work as hard in their careers.
April 2021: Sam reveals she hasn’t spoken to any of her former colleagues since leaving Sunrise a month earlier.
May 2021: It’s discovered that Sam doesn’t follow Nat or Kochie on Instagram, despite following many other former Seven colleagues.
June 2021: Nat tells The Australian Women’s Weekly that she and Sam were never friends outside of Sunrise and claims they were ‘in different places’ in their lives.
June 2021: Sam refuses to answer a question about their rumoured feud during an interview on The Kyle & Jackie O Show, and simply says: ‘It’s better to be talked about than not’.
June 2021: Sam later tweets that Nat has ‘wanted the job’ as co-host on Sunrise ‘forever’ and urges her to ‘get on and enjoy it – and forget about me’.
‘Why are women always feuding? Why is it not men ever feuding?’ the passionate journalist asked reporters during the highly anticipated television awards ceremony.
‘Let me tell you, there are lots of men feuding in television, but it only seems to be women reported on,’ she firmly stated.
The former morning anchor was absolutely emphatic when decisively shutting down any lingering suggestions that she and Natalie are currently at odds with each other.
‘There is no feud. There is absolutely no feud,’ Samantha definitively declared, hoping to finally put the exhausting, multi-year media speculation to permanent rest.
These strong comments follow years of intense public fascination regarding the complicated relationship between the famous former Sunrise broadcasting colleagues after Samantha’s shock departure.
Natalie, who confidently stepped into the primary hosting role after Samantha exited the network, has also previously dismissed wild suggestions of extreme workplace tension.
However, rumours of a bitter feud initially escalated after it was shockingly revealed that Natalie was deliberately excluded from Samantha’s star-studded farewell lunch gathering.
Appearing on the popular Kyle and Jackie O radio show, fellow former host David Koch admitted he and Natalie were completely unaware of the event.
‘We did not know about it,’ Kochie admitted, explaining that the dedicated Sunrise team usually remains incredibly strict about attending late social events anyway.
Adding massive fuel to the blazing fire, Natalie pointedly noted that the morning television team had simply been enjoying Champagne quietly together inside the office.
Before Samantha sensationally quit her high-profile job, she ignited massive controversy by claiming married women with children are not expected to work as hard.
In her popular magazine column, Samantha sensationally wrote that television network bosses do not ask as much of you if you are a busy mother.
‘I have never shied away from hard work, but there was an expectation that I would do it because I had nothing else going on.’
Natalie quickly clapped back at these controversial statements, firmly declaring she has always worked just as incredibly hard as her unmarried and childless female colleagues.
The dedicated mother of two teenage sons proudly told reporters she never felt like she worked less simply because she was a busy loving wife.
‘I feel like I have worked really hard and put my hand up for every job and every news story that involved going away overseas.’
Natalie passionately insisted she actively chased demanding journalism assignments like devastating floods, terrifying terror attacks, and crucial overseas elections despite her busy personal family life.
In April of that year, Samantha candidly revealed she had not spoken to any of her former colleagues since dramatically leaving the beloved breakfast program.
Eyebrows were raised once again when observant fans quickly noticed Samantha did not follow Natalie or Kochie on Instagram, despite following other network peers completely.
Natalie eventually confirmed she did not have a particularly close personal relationship with the talented woman she officially replaced as the primary morning Sunrise anchor.
She honestly explained that while the famous pair got along very well inside the busy office, they rarely spoke after the bright television cameras stopped.
‘The truth is we did not really see each other outside the office. We had vastly different lives, I guess,’ Natalie previously told popular magazines.
Former television producer Rob McKnight recently noted that Natalie is a brilliant straight shooter who simply told the honest truth about their professional working friendship.
‘Is anyone actually surprised the two did not mingle outside of work? No, of course not, they are different people with vastly different daily lives.’
He added that having a massive ego and deep professional ambition is completely necessary if you truly want to survive within the cutthroat media industry.
Despite these historical clashes, Samantha’s latest red carpet comments strongly suggest she is officially growing tired of the endless, fabricated behind-the-scenes animosity narrative today.
The beautiful blonde television presenter completely made jaws drop as she confidently strutted onto the exclusive red carpet wearing a stunning, revealing disco-inspired glamorous jumpsuit.
Designed brilliantly by Carla Zampatti, the incredibly daring one-piece outfit showed off plenty of cleavage with a plunging neckline slashed down to her navel.
The magnificent garment flawlessly flaunted her highly toned arms and slender waist, proving the veteran star still commands massive attention wherever she decides to go.
Samantha perfectly completed the stylish seventies theme with a fluffy Scanlan Theodore designer bag, a chunky gold cuff, and beautifully voluminous blonde hair extensions tonight.