Nine viewers tuning in to the Today show to see Karl Stefanovic on Tuesday were left disappointed, when the popular anchor was nowhere to be seen in the studio.
The TV star, 51, was missing from the breakfast show, with Charles Croucher filling in for him alongside Sarah Abo.
Croucher and Abo, 39, did not appear to address Stefanovic’s absence, though a waterside photo on wife Jasmine’s Instagram suggests he is on holiday.
The image appeared to have been taken in the early hours of the morning and showed a dimly lit beach, with Stefanovic’s wife sharing it to her social media on Tuesday.
In the distance, a man could be seen standing in the sand as, what seemed to be, a dog waded through the water to fetch something.
It’s unclear if the man was Stefanovic or just a passer-by.
Nine viewers tuning in to Today to see Karl Stefanovic (pictured) on Tuesday morning were left disappointed when the popular anchor was nowhere to be seen in the studio
When asked for comment by Daily Mail, a Nine spokesperson confirmed: ‘Karl is on annual leave and will be returning next week.’
His absence from the studio comes a few months after reports emerged claiming Stefanovic has been offered a multi-million, multi-year deal by Nine.
The breakfast show host has reportedly landed himself a $3 million per year contract, according to The Australian in June.
‘Nine sources tell us the network’s top brass have just finished passing a hat around at their Denison St headquarters in North Sydney and have managed to scrape together enough loose change to offer him a contract worth about $3 million a year,’ the paper’s Media Diary wrote.
Sitting on a $2.8 million a year contract at the time, Stefanovic was rumoured to see a significant increase in his pay as he continued to front the successful breakfast show.
According to the publication, Nine is said to have given in to the TV presenter’s demands after he threatened to walk away if they low-balled on a new contract.
The news came as a shock considering rival breakfast hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington make a meagre $2 million between them.
What’s more, Stefanovic’s Today co-host Abo makes only $800,000 a year, according to Mediaweek, highlighting a stark gender pay gap between the two.
The TV star was missing from the second-rating breakfast show, with Charles Croucher (left) filling in for him alongside Sarah Abo (right)
Croucher and Abo did not appear to address Stefanovic’s absence, though a waterside photo on his wife Jasmine’s Instagram suggests he is on holiday
The Australian’s inaugural TV Rich List report claimed in May that Stefanovic was being paid an eye-watering $2 million more than his co-host Abo.
The report collated the 35 highest salaries among TV stars on Australia’s three commercial networks—Channel Seven, Nine and Network 10.
It revealed that Stefanovic is the highest-paid small screen star Down Under, bringing home a formidable $2.8 million annually, making almost three times as much as Abo.
This is in stark contrast to his Today counterpart, who came in at tenth place with a salary of $800,000.
