Tony Armstrong has announced a shock new career move after walking away from his ABC News Breakfast role.
The host shocked viewers back in October when he left the popular morning show after three years in the role.
Now, Tony has revealed he is jumping to a rival network, taking on hosting duties of SBS’ coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Tony will join Courtney Act in the commentary chair, taking the reins from Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey, who were in the role from 2017 to 2024.
Tony said that he was over the moon with the new role, especially having the opportunity to work alongside Courtney Act.
‘I’m so excited to jump into the world of Eurovision with the one and only Courtney Act who has already taken me under her wing,’ he said in a statement.
Tony Armstrong has announced a shock new career move after walking away from his ABC News Breakfast role
‘I’m definitely not envious of her brilliance and my jealousy won’t make it on screen I promise.’
Continuing, Tony said that he was honoured to be a part of the singing spectacle, which still resonates globally after a formidable 69 years.
‘Eurovision holds such a special place in so many hearts around the world,’ he added. ‘I look forward to being a part of the spectacle along with Courtney!’
SBS Head of Entertainment Emily Griggs praised the new appointment, saying Tony and Courtney were ‘perfect’ for the role.
‘Courtney brings a wealth of knowledge about music and performance, while Tony’s curiosity and enthusiasm make him a natural for the job,’ she said.
‘Together, they’ll create an amazing energy, blending expertise with excitement to make Eurovision an unforgettable experience for fans everywhere.’
Speaking to News Corp, Tony said that while he’s not a complete Eurovision novice, he will be looking to expert Courtney Act to fill in the blanks.
‘I’m not entirely a first-time viewer but definitely not someone who comes with the knowledge of all the voting alliances that all the nations have,’ Tony said.
Now Tony has revealed he is jumping to a rival network, taking on hosting duties of SBS’ coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest
Tony will join Courtney Act as co-commentator of the coverage, which will air on SBS in May
‘So where the partnership with Courtney will come to the fore is me going ‘this is a bit weird’ and she will be able to fill in that gap.’
The Eurovision Song Contest is held from 13 May to 17 May 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
SBS will broadcast the semi-finals and grand final Contest from May 14 to 18.
Tony announced he was leaving ABC News Breakfast back in September.
‘I just want to thank absolutely everyone – all of you guys, my colleagues, everyone behind the camera, all the producers, all the people who watch as well and come up in the street and say G’day and all that kind of stuff,’ Tony said on air at the time.
‘Um, yeah, it’s been a whirlwind sort of three-and-a-touch years, a lot’s happened, it feels like I’ve been on a bit of a rocket ship, but the support that I’ve got from News Brekkie and news in general has been amazing.
‘Huge thank you, I’m going to miss the couch – I’m not going to miss the alarm, but I’ll miss the couch – I’ve had such a ball.’
It comes after Tony shared some of the vile racist comments he received from trolls on Friday and issued an extraordinary clapback.
Tony and Courtney replace Myf Warhust and Joel Creasey, who held the commentary gig from 2017 to 2024
Tony, a proud Aboriginal man, posted a selection of screenshots to Instagram, which were made in response to a post he made calling for Australia’s ‘wealth’ to be returned to First Nations people.
The screenshots captured some of the shocking comments posted underneath, one of which read: ‘This smug t**d is annoying.’
‘A f***ing ego w***er,’ a second person wrote.
Another horrific comment read: ‘I’m surprised you know what rent is. You know, with the handouts and all.’
‘I love living rent free in these loser’s heads,’ he said.
‘I’m in the f***ing mood today.’
Armstrong did not mince words when he revealed what he thought of the trolls.
