Today show fans were left angered on Monday after the breakfast show took a brutal swipe at departing host, Allison ‘Ally’ Langdon.
Channel Nine confirmed on Sunday that Ally, 43, will be abandoning her co-hosting role at Today to replace outgoing A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw, 62.
A photo was posted to the show’s official Instagram page featuring Karl Stefanovic, Ally and her replacement host Sarah Abo, except Ally, 43, had been cropped out of the frame.
Today show fans were left angered on Monday after the breakfast show took a brutal swipe at departing host, Allison ‘Ally’ Langdon
‘Out with the old, in with the new. Welcome to the team, Sarah!’ the caption read, referencing Karl’s comments about Ally leaving the show earlier in the day.
Fans flocked to the comments section to call the post ‘rude’.
Despite it being a lighthearted dig, many viewers thought the joke was ‘insensitive’, ‘horrid’ and ‘brutal’.
‘Karl – so cruel,’ one person commented, while another said: ‘So rude.’
Someone else wrote: ‘That’s a real awful send off! Karl was also so rude and disrespectful to Ally.’
A photo was posted to the show’s official Instagram page featuring Karl Stefanovic , Ally and her replacement host Sarah Abo, except Ally, 43, had been cropped out of the frame
‘Sorry to see Ally go and what horrid headline wording and the picture cutting Ally out. Seriously,’ another commented.
Other fans were quick to have a laugh at the joke, saying those who disapproved just didn’t get the ‘Aussie humour’.
‘The photo crop is the best!’ one fan wrote, as another said: ‘It’s the Aussie sense of humour. It’s not meant to be serious.’
‘Out with the old, in with the new. Welcome to the team, Sarah!’ the caption read, prompting fans to flock to the comments over the ‘rude’ post
Another agreed wholeheartedly, commenting, ‘Typical Aussie humour,’ next to a series of crying-laughing emojis.
‘Hilarious post,’ someone else wrote. ‘Hopefully the snowflakes that clearly have no idea can calm down their outrage.’
Just hours earlier, Karl roasted his co-host Ally for quitting the Today show to host A Current Affair.
Karl wasted no time discussing the big news on Monday’s broadcast, opening the show by singing along to The Beach Boys song Kokomo: ‘She’ll go out to sea, when she goes to ACA!’
‘Allison Langdon everyone, the new host of ‘A Current Affair’, of course. Congratulations, Ally,’ he declared, turning to Langdon.
‘I wasn’t sure what you would do this morning. I knew it would be something,’ Ally beamed.
‘I spent the whole weekend working on that,’ he joked, as Ally mused: ‘I could tell. The production value had your name all over it!’
Karl appeared surprised by her brutal response, firing back: ‘That’s all the ‘Today’ show’s production value is. That part of the reason you have moved on?’
Despite it being a lighthearted dig, many viewers thought the joke was ‘insensitive’, ‘horrid’ and ‘brutal’
Other fans were quick to have a laugh at the joke, saying those who disapproved just didn’t get the ‘Aussie humour’
Blushing, Ally assured Karl: ‘I’m excited but bittersweet to be leaving the morning team which is amazing.’
However, Karl couldn’t resist taking another dig at his co-host as he announced: ‘We’ve got a big week planned for you’ before turning to Langdon and uttering: ‘Don’t go anywhere, not as if you can anyway.’
He proceeded to take several other digs at his co-host throughout Monday’s broadcast.
While announcing an upcoming interview with Ally’s replacement Sarah, 35, Karl wryly declared: ‘Out with the old. In with the new.’
‘Say hello to the Today Show 2023 team, Ally’s brilliant replacement joins us on the couch a little later on,’ he added.
Ally officially announced she’s leaving Today to step in as the new host of A Current Affair on Sunday. The television presenter will step into the coveted role at the current affairs stalwart in the New Year, after longtime host Tracy Grimshaw quit in September
On the back of Allison’s announcement, Channel Nine confirmed on Sunday that 60 Minutes reporter Sarah Abo will be filling her spot alongside Karl and taking over as co-host on the Today show