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Sunrise viewers were left scratching their heads on Tuesday morning after host Natalie Barr mysteriously disappeared from the show.
She sneaked out of the studio while her co-anchor David ‘Kochie’ Koch was reading the 8am news bulletin, and was replaced by fill-in presenter Monique Wright.
When the cameras returned to the news desk at 8:01am, the voiceover welcomed back ‘Kochie and Nat’ but Monique was sitting in her chair.
‘Good morning! Back now for our 8am hour on Sunrise. Thanks so much for joining us,’ a cheerful Monique said.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Kochie asked her.
As the team laughed off the sudden change to the panel, Monique joked: ‘Nat just scurried out and I happened to have been under the couch.’
Kochie then explained why Natalie was forced to make a quick exit, revealing she had just scored an ‘exclusive interview’ and had a flight to catch.
‘She’s dashing to the airport as we speak. We’ll bring that to you tomorrow,’ he said.
‘In the meantime, Monique is in the chair for the rest of this morning.’
Sunrise viewers were left scratching their heads on Tuesday morning after host Natalie Barr (left, with David ‘Kochie’ Koch) mysteriously disappeared from the show
No further details were given regarding Natalie’s upcoming interview.
Her sudden exit from Tuesday’s show follows news Kochie is planning his retirement.
Back in October, he re-signed with Seven for another two years.
He agreed to a contact extension locking him in until the end of 2024, but negotiated for ‘greater flexibility’ in his schedule.
He inked the deal on October 19 at a meeting with Seven Network CEO James Warburton, during which he expressed his interest in retiring.
She sneaked out of the studio while Kochie (right) was reading the 8am news bulletin, and was replaced by fill-in presenter Monique Wright (left)
Warburton was able to convince him to put off his retirement plans for another two years, but agreed to draw up a contract allowing the long-serving anchor ‘to take more breaks from the show according to his requirements’, reported The Australian.
This is in addition to Kochie’s already relaxed work schedule that sees him host Sunrise four days a week, taking Fridays off.
Kerry Stokes, the billionaire chairman of the Seven Network, was understood to have played a ‘pivotal role’ in Kochie’s contract renegotiations.
Having been granted more ‘flexibility’ with his schedule, Kochie hopes to spend more time with his wife Libby and focus on his businesses Ausbiz TV and Pinstripe Media.
Kochie is planning his retirement, but in October committed to staying at Channel Seven’s breakfast show for at least another two years with a flexible schedule. (He is seen here at the 2019 Logie Awards with Samantha Armytage, Natalie Barr and Mark Beretta)
‘I’m grateful to James and Kerry Stokes that they approached it this way,’ he said.
‘I’ve had long chats with both of them, and they asked me is there a way to come up with a plan that gives you the flexibility you want, and gives you a connection to the network and a continuing focus on Sunrise. I love it dearly. So I’m really fortunate to have the best of all worlds.’
News of Kochie’s two-year contract extension came after sources told Daily Mail Australia he was seriously considering retirement, but was swayed towards staying by the prospect of covering King Charles’ coronation at Westminster Abbey in May.
Seven bosses, meanwhile, were said to be understandably keen for him to stay on at Sunrise, which he began hosting as a fill-in in 2002.
Since then, the show has all but slaughtered Nine rival Today, winning every ratings year since 2004, and every week across the five-city metro market since 2018.
Kochie (pictured with former host Mel Doyle) has helped Sunrise slaughter Nine’s Today show, winning every ratings year since 2004, and every week across the five-city market since 2018
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