Sarah Abo is months from going on maternity leave but no replacement has been announced
Channel 9 is facing a crucial decision as Sarah Abo prepares to step away from Today for maternity leave — with the show at risk of slipping further behind Sunrise if bosses get it wrong.
Lisa Wilkinson made a dramatic return to the morning show last week to promote her new book, The Titanic Story of Evelyn, after leaving the network following a contract dispute in 2017.
Sarah is set to take maternity leave in August and joked with the 66-year-old about whether she would be available to fill in.
Fans were quick to call on the broadcaster to “bring her back”, reuniting her and Karl Stefanovic, who spent over a decade hosting the program together.
“A fantastic team. Would be amazing to have them back together. Lisa is just a beautiful lady,” one person said.
“Loved seeing them together. Lisa Wilkinson should fill in during Sarah’s maternity leave,” another said.
But Lisa, now focused on books and speaking engagements, is not likely to jump at an offer to return to the breakfast grind and the 3am starts that come with it.
So, who could it be?
Who will replace Sarah Abo on the Today show?
Media commentator Andrew Mercado told Yahoo Lifestyle that Nine will likely look internally for Sarah’s temporary replacement.
“They’ll move someone in-house…they’ll be able to get one of their many female reporters to do a stand-in while she has maternity leave,” he said.
Today has been in a decades-long ratings battle with Channel 7’s breakfast program Sunrise, and Andrew said any type of shake-up in the lineup could cause panic with viewers, putting more weight on the decision.
“Because audiences keep falling away, it’s making everybody in television terrified to make any sort of decision that involves a change,” Andrew said.
“They’re so terrified that if they make the wrong move, they’ll lose more viewers.”
According to Channel 9’s website, the Today show’s current lineup of female presenters includes:
- Today newsreader Jayne Azzopardi
- Sylvia Jeffries
- Davina Smith
- Lara Vella
- Gabrielle Boyle
- Izabella Staskowski
Sylvia has been with Channel 9 for more than a decade and is already familiar with the program format, hosting Today Extra with David Campbell.
She could be a low-risk choice who could step in with minimal disruption for the audience.
Plus, Sylvia is married to Karl’s brother Peter, which could play into the show’s existing chemistry.
Today has been known to parachute in talent from the wider Nine Network.
Former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage signed up with Nine in 2024 to host The Golden Bachelor.
She was even called upon to cover the Today desk for a few weeks in December when Karl and Sarah took a break. A role she also took the previous year.
She would be a wildcard contender, but has also had her fair share of early wake-ups.
Samantha told Yahoo Lifestyle in November that she was “very happy in prime time”.
Another big hitter for Nine is Allison Langdon.
Allison’s previous stint on Today, between 2020 and 2023, could give her a unique advantage, having already proven her on-screen chemistry with Karl — a key ingredient in breakfast TV success.
The pairing marked one of the show’s more stable recent eras, and she certainly is an internal candidate with credibility and audience familiarity.
However, Nine appears committed to its decision in keeping Allison at the helm of A Current Affair — a flagship primetime role.
Another familiar face across the Nine Network is Sophie Monk.
She lovable larrikin has fronted Love Island Australia and Beauty and the Geek Australia, plus she is a regular on The Hundred with Andy Lee.
Sophie would be more of a left-field decision though.
The 46-year-old, who kicked off her career in 2000 as a member of the reality TV pop band Bardot, has predominantly worked in entertainment formats, meaning a shift to the news-driven format of Today could be quite a leap.
With a mix of safe internal options and left-field names in the frame, the decision now rests on whether Nine plays it safe — or takes a rare gamble.