From a 'trainwreck' breakup with his wife and celebrity-fuelled romance with Jasmine Yarbrough to his on-air meltdown and THAT Uber rant: How it all went wrong for Karl Stefanovic
Karl Stefanovic's 14-year stint on the Today show came to an end on Thursday following a blaze of poor ratings and negative headlines.
While rumours that he would be axed from the role have been swirling for months, Karl's legacy of controversy extends back much further.
Famous for a laissez-faire approach that saw him host Today drunk after the Logies in 2009, Karl has struggled to woo viewers over to Nine in recent times.
From his highly publicised breakup with his wife Cassandra Thorburn to Ubergate and THAT meltdown over pictures of himself checking into a caravan park with 12 cans of rum: How it all went wrong for Karl Stefanovic as he is finally booted from Today
A divorce, a marriage and plummeting ratings
The start of the program's downward spiral can be traced back to September 2016, when it emerged Karl had separated from his wife and the mother of his three children, Cassandra Thorburn.
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A few months after the split, Karl began dating former-model-turned-shoe-designer Jasmine Yarbrough, who is 10 years his junior.
The pair were married during a lavish four-day wedding in Mexico earlier this month, with glossy images of the expensive occasion hitting newsstands across the country.
The beginning of the end? The start of the Today show's downward spiral can be traced back to September 2016, when it emerged Karl, 44, had separated from his wife and the mother of his three children, Cassandra Thorburn (left). Pictured on October 16, 2008 in Sydney
New flame: A few months after splitting with his wife, Karl began dating Jasmine Yarbrough (right), who is nine years his junior. Pictured on April 4
Media experts believe Karl's relationship with Jasmine resulted in female viewers turning their backs on Karl.
Of course, Karl's personal life hasn't been the only thing that has come under public scrutiny.
Newlywed bliss: Karl and Jasmine were married during a lavish four-day wedding in Mexico earlier this month (pictured on their wedding day)
The Ubergate scandal
Behind-the-scene tensions with Lisa's replacement, veteran journalist Georgie Gardner, also didn't help Karl's public image at the start of 2018.
Scandal: In March, Peter and Karl (pictured) were embroiled in the Ubergate scandal after their private phone conversation in a taxi was leaked to New Idea magazine
Not friends: Behind-the-scene tensions with Lisa's replacement, veteran journalist Georgie Gardner (right), also didn't help Karl's public image at the start of 2018. Pictured: Georgie rolling her eyes at Karl at the 2018 Logies while being interviewed by Sonia Kruger (left)
The animosity between the two presenters reached an apex when the so-called 'Ubergate' scandal made headlines.
Karl had been 'overheard' by an Uber driver complaining about Georgie and other colleagues, and the details of his private conversation were leaked to New Idea.
According to the magazine, he had criticised his female co-anchor for 'sitting on the fence' and not having enough opinions.
Tensions boil over: The animosity between the two presenters reached an apex when the so-called 'Ubergate' scandal made headlines. Karl had been 'overheard' by an Uber driver complaining about Georgie (right) and other colleagues, and the details of his private conversation were leaked to New Idea
Warning shot: In September, Karl's boss Hugh Marks fired a warning shot in the wake of the scandal, saying the Today host could face the sack due to the show's decline in popularity
When New Idea hit newsstands on Monday 19 March, Georgie branded Karl 'pathetic' on air, supposedly referring to his phobia of dachshunds.
However, it was abundantly clear to viewers what she was really referring to.
The 'tranny' controversy
In 2016, Karl appeared in a controversial Today segment in which the journalist used the word 'tranny' multiple times on-air- a term which is generally considered to be a slur among the transgender community.
The star did a live cross to Today show reporter Christine Ahern in Rio after her security guard was 'clocked in the head' by a transvestite who tried to wrangle a camera from the television crew in Copacabana.
Christina said her cameraman, Glen Edwards, was so afraid to tell the boss he had lost a camera that he 'held on' during the attempted robbery which prompted Karl to make a joke that he was 'no stranger to the ways of the tranny' and had 'fought off tougher trannies'.
On-air blunder: In 2016, Karl appeared in a controversial Today segment in which the journalist used the word 'tranny' multiple times on-air- a term which is generally considered to be a slur among the transgender community
Karl also presented a wanted poster with an image of Hugo Weaving in drag from the iconic Australian film 'The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' which he suggested could be the would-be thief.
After intense social media backlash, the Channel Nine host was forced to make a public apology.
'Well as we all know I can be a complete tool. Well yesterday I was worse I was an ignorant tool - and when I say ignorant I truly mean it,' he said.
Breakfast TV war: Today's ratings have been declining since Karl began dating former model Jasmine Yarbrough in late 2016, recently hitting a humiliating 12-year low. Meanwhile, Channel Seven's Sunrise continues to dominate and the gap between the rival breakfast shows widens. Pictured: Sunrise hosts Samantha Armytage (left) and David 'Kochie' Koch (right)
The departure of Lisa Wilkinson
He found himself at the centre of a gender pay gap controversy in October last year when his co-host Lisa Wilkinson resigned after management reportedly refused to pay her the same salary as Karl.
No equal pay? Of course, Karl's personal life isn't the only reason for his diminishing popularity. He found himself at the centre of a gender pay gap controversy in October last year when his co-host Lisa Wilkinson (right) resigned after management reportedly refused to pay her the same salary as Karl
Channel Nine CEO Hugh Marks said at the time that Karl was paid more because he had more responsibilities at the network, including his prime time show This Time Next Year, and because Lisa had several commercial agreements outside Nine.
The former magazine editor subsequently signed a lucrative deal with Network Ten and began hosting The Sunday Project.
Karl's bizarre Today meltdown
In June 2017, Karl courted controversy once again when he unleashed a bizarre tirade on the Today show after pictures of himself checking into a country caravan park carrying 12 cans of pre-mixed rum were published.
The pictures showed the father-of-three stopping by a bottle shop to pick up the drinks on the way to his accommodation in Yamba, on the NSW north coast, in late April, accompanied by a Channel Nine producer.
The host, who earned a reported $3million a year - insisted that he was at the location filming a story about struggling prawn farmers and that 'they deserve a rum or two.'
Bizarre outburst: In June 2017, Karl courted controversy once again when he unleashed a bizarre tirade on the Today show after pictures of himself checking into a country caravan park carrying 12 cans of pre-mixed rum were published (as pictured above)
He then bizarrely suggested the pictures were an attack on women because he was carrying the rum cans before entering the caravan park with his female colleague.
His outburst provoked a strong reaction on social media, with some users taking to Twitter and Facebook to call Stefanovic out as a hypocrite.
The rant came at the end of a week of combative comments from Karl, who days earlier claimed he 'didn't care' about the media circus surrounding the return of Schapelle Corby from Bali.
Karl's 'drunk' post-Logies coverage
In 2009, Karl famously hosted Today while still drunk after the Logie Awards the night prior.
In a 2014 interview, Karl admitted he had gone out and got 'smashed' just like any other year - however the footage had endured because of the popularity of YouTube.
'This was the first Logies when stuff really started working on the Internet,' Karl said.
'I remember seeing it on Today Tonight and going, "Oh God." I really was drunk, or at least I certainly looked and sounded drunk.'
He famously shared a greasy bowl of Nasi Goreng with co-star Lisa Wilkinson on-air to cure his aching head at 6am the morning after.
In 2010, Karl admitted that Nine had ordered him to work as a red carpet reporter on Logies night to keep him away from the bar and avoid a repeat performance.
Indeed, his hard-partying at the Logies continued in 2016, when he celebrated from dusk to dawn before returning to screens looking very weary the next morning.
Raising eyebrows: In 2009, Karl famously hosted Today while still drunk after the Logie Awards the night prior (pictured)
Tucking in: He famously shared a greasy bowl of Nasi Goreng with co-star Lisa Wilkinson on-air to cure his aching head at 6am the morning after
A year later, he caused a stir once again when he thanked his then-wife Cassandra Thorburn's 'a**e' while accepting the Most Popular Presenter award and the Gold Logie.
He said: 'My beautiful wife Cass, who lets me go on these weird and wonderful excursions around the world... a great influence in my life.'
'And she's also got the best a**e I’ve ever seen,' Karl added as the crowd laughed.
Bizarre speech: A year later, he caused a stir once again when he thanked his then-wife Cassandra Thorburn's 'a**e' while accepting the Most Popular Presenter award and the Gold Logie (pictured at the Logies in 2018)
The final straw
In September, Karl's boss Hugh Marks fired a warning shot in the wake of the scandal, saying the Today host could face the sack due to the show's decline in popularity.
On Thursday, Karl finally announced he had parted from Today.
The news came a day after his younger Peter abruptly exited the network 'to explore new opportunities.'
Bye! On Thursday, Karl finally announced he had parted from Today
Departures: Karl's brother Peter (left, in 2011) parted ways with the network on Tuesday
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