Long-serving Channel Nine weather presenter Amber Sherlock has broken cover after being dropped by the network in a sweeping round of redundancies, ending her 18-year run on air.
The 49-year-old – who became a household name after her infamous on-air meltdown over a colleague’s white jacket, in a furore dubbed ‘Jacketgate’ – was quietly replaced in her usual slot by reporter Sophie Walsh on Monday without a word of explanation to viewers.
On Tuesday, the axed presenter was spotted for the first time since disappearing from screens, going undercover near her home on Sydney’s ritzy lower north shore.
Wearing a cap and oversized sunglasses, Sherlock kept her head down as she dropped her daughter off at a private girls’ school around lunchtime.
Nine insiders insist Sherlock is ‘gone’ – one of dozens of staffers to be shown the door this week as the network slashes about 50 jobs across its broadcast and streaming divisions. No other departments are impacted.
When approached by the Daily Mail after a winding drive through the backstreets of Balmoral, the mother of two refused to comment on what the forecast holds for her career.
Axed Channel Nine weather presenter Amber Sherlock cast a frosty look at us when we asked about newsreader Georgie Gardner keeping her plum job while Nine slashed 50 jobs
Sherlock bolted from her Range Rover Sport, refusing to elaborate on the forecast of her career
Georgie Gardner’s status at Nine has long been a subject of fascination. She is paid $600,000 a year to read the news two nights a week – a legacy from her year fronting Today. (Gardner is pictured in September 2024, following an incident in which she snapped at a young colleague)
Sherlock scurried out of her white Range Rover Sport and glared at us when asked the question everyone in the industry is whispering behind closed doors.
‘How do you feel about Georgie Gardner keeping her job?’
Gardner’s status at Nine has long been a subject of fascination in the media industry.
She is famously paid $600,000 a year to read the news two nights a week. That eye-watering salary is a legacy from her short-lived stint as Today co-host alongside Deb Knight in 2019 during Nine’s failed experiment with a new all-female line-up.
In September last year – in the aftermath of a much-publicised incident when Gardner lost her temper on set with a young female colleague over an autocue issue – senior network insiders told the Mail that her deal was no longer ‘justifiable’ and that it was expected she would be among a slate of key stars expected to take pay cuts.
Despite this, Gardner’s job looks to be safe for now as Nine tightens its belt amid an advertising downturn that has affected the entire media industry.Â
Meanwhile, hours before our encounter with Sherlock at her Mosman home, her husband Chris had spent the morning conducting a quiet reconnaissance of their leafy street, seemingly on the lookout for waiting press and lurking photographers.
Sherlock joined the network in 2007 as the Today show’s business reporter, before moving into the anchor chair for Nine News Weekends, and later taking on the coveted Sydney weather presenter role in 2011.Â
Sherlock (centre) infamously berated colleague Julie Snook (left) for wearing a white jacket on air – after realising all three women on set were dressed in the same colour. Footage of the off-air interaction was leaked to media blog Mumbrella and made international headlines
Amber’s husband Chris Sherlock spent the morning conducting a quiet reconnaissance of the couple’s leafy street, seemingly on the lookout for waiting press and lurking photographers
Her exit has shocked colleagues and fuelled speculation about why newsroom veteran Georgie Gardner somehow survived the cull.
Gardner, who fronts Nine’s Friday and Saturday night bulletins, is understood to have a year left on her deal. Insiders tell the Mail her lucrative contract has raised eyebrows among colleagues now fearing for their own jobs.
Meanwhile, Nine News Queensland sports anchor Jonathan Uptin and Adelaide favourite Kate Collins have also been let go in the latest wave of cuts.
A network source previously told Daily Mail that Sherlock’s ‘hefty pay packet’ may have been a factor in her departure.
When approached on Monday, a Nine spokesperson refused to deny Sherlock’s exit, saying only that the company ‘will not discuss the employment status of any individuals at this stage’.
However, the network did confirm that a restructure was underway across its streaming and broadcast division – comprising Nine TV and Stan – aimed at cutting duplication and ‘driving commercial growth’ amid a challenging advertising market.
Sherlock retreated to her Mosman home after she was approached by the Daily Mail
Sherlock (right) featured at Nine’s Upfronts presentation last month alongside Nine’s money editor Effie Zahos (left) and Sydney newsreader Peter Overton (centre)
The spokesperson added that the company was consulting with affected employees and exploring redeployment opportunities within the broader Nine Entertainment group.
The redundancies stem from a company-wide restructure announced in January, which saw Stan merged under the same umbrella as the free-to-air network.
Sherlock’s shock dismissal comes eight years after she was at the centre of one of Australian TV’s most infamous viral moments: the 2017 ‘Jacketgate’ incident.
In unaired footage from the Nine newsroom that was leaked to media blog Mumbrella, Sherlock was caught berating colleague Julie Snook for wearing a white jacket – after realising all three women on set were dressed in the same colour.
The clip went global, making headlines everywhere from the BBC to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and turned Sherlock into an unwitting meme.
Now, as Nine’s latest round of redundancies takes hold, the once-dominant weather presenter’s future looks decidedly cloudy.Â
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