Samantha Armytage has directed a brutal “prime time” dig at Channel Nine rival Sarah Abo during a radio interview – amid reports she could replace the Today co-host.

Samantha Armytage has aimed a thinly veiled “dig” at Sarah Abo as she addressed reports she could replace the Today co-host.

The Channel Nine host spoke to Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson on Monday, discussing claims she would join Karl Stefanovic on the breakfast show desk instead of Abo.

The Australian last week reported Nine was eyeing Armytage for the role to supplant Seven’s Sunrise as Australia’s most popular breakfast show.

The host of Nine’s new Golden Bachelor did not deny she would consider booting Abo when pressed by the radio hosts, going so far as to make a point of being a prime-time TV personality, unlike Abo and Stefanovic.

“We’ll just get through – I’m really happy in prime time,” Armytage said.

“This is what I came to Channel Nine for.”

Kyle and Jackie ‘O’ were quick to label the comment as a “dig”, with Henderson saying Armytage just “started a feud” with Abo.

The ex-Sunrise presenter denied she did, saying she thought Karl and Sarah were “fabulous” and the Golden Bachelor was “her show”.

Samantha Armytage spoke to Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson where she discussed claims she would join Karl Stefanovic on the breakfast show desk. Picture: The Kyle & Jackie O Show

Armytage made a point of being a prime-time TV personality. Picture: The Kyle & Jackie O Show
“This is where it’s at for me. I’m really happy. This is my show,” she said.

“It’s on air tonight. Finally. It’s been a few months because we filmed earlier in the year, so it’s been a long time to get here.”

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Armytage said Nine executives had not approached her to return to early mornings at Today after she quit Seven’s Sunrise program in 2021.

“No one has said that to me. And you know rumours. Kyle, you know how this game works. No one said it,” she said.

Armytage said the headlines about her were “planted” in an interview with 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Friday.

She told the radio host there was no blood between her and Abo after she caught up with her rumoured rival presenter at Nine’s Upfronts last week.

“We gave each other a hug and I said, ‘Are you okay?’ and she’s good,” she said of her interaction with the TV host.

However, Abo is “absolutely gutted” by the possibility of being replaced by Armytage, an insider told Woman’s Day.

“If it is true that management have been the driving force behind getting Sam Armytage to replace her, then she feels all her hard work to make this job work has gone down the drain – it’s like the worst type of betrayal,” the source said.

“She feels completely blindsided – going back, she never even wanted this job, but they convinced her she was the right person for the role.”

Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo. Picture: Arnold/WireImage
The chatter comes as Abo is renegotiating her contract with Nine for a bumper pay increase from her current $800,000 a year, a whopping $2 million less than Stefanovic, despite working the same job and hours.

Her position at the network remains unclear, with Nine CEO Matt Stanton tight-lipped on whether she could be at Nine in the new year.

“I suspect so,” Mr Stanton told The Australian.

He was even less forthcoming about the Stefanovic-Armytage team-up.

“I don’t know. I’m not into that level, to be honest. I haven’t seen that level of detail,” he said of the reshuffle.

Armytage sat on the Sunrise couch alongside David Koch from 2013 until 2021.

The combination of Armytage and Koch saw Sunrise consistently take the lead in the morning TV wars against rival Today.

Armytage defected from Seven to Nine last October.

Abo joined Today in 2023, replacing outgoing co-host Allison Langdon.