Sunrise hosts David ‘Kochie’ Koch and Natalie Barr were not invited to former anchor Sam Armytage’s farewell party, which took place after her last day on March 11.
The pair were grilled about Sam’s departure on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Thursday, and Kochie, 65, admitted that he and Natalie, 53, weren’t even told about the dinner at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney’s Rose Bay.
While they didn’t attend, several Channel Seven identities were there, including The Morning Show presenter Kylie Gillies.
Not on the guest list! Sunrise hosts David ‘Kochie’ Koch and Natalie Barr were not invited to former anchor Sam Armytage’s farewell party, which took place after her last day on March 11
‘Why didn’t you two go to Sam’s farewell party?’ radio host Kyle Sandilands asked. ‘All the photographers were there, but I didn’t see you there.’
Kochie then let slip they hadn’t been invited.
‘We didn’t know about it and we had a postponed Christmas party the next day,’ he said, noting that the Sunrise team is strict about events because of their early starts.
Out of the loop: The pair were grilled about Sam’s departure on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Thursday, and Kochie, 65, admitted in a roundabout way that he and Natalie, 53, weren’t even told about the dinner at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney’s Rose Bay. Sam is pictured arriving for her farewell dinner with her husband, Richard Lavender, on March 11
Not told: ‘We didn’t know about it and we had a postponed Christmas party the next day,’ Kochie said. Pictured (left to right): Natalie Barr, Sam Armytage, David Koch and Mark Beretta
Natalie added: ‘And we had been having champagne in the office for a while.’
The pair also strongly denied rumours Sam had been forced to leave Seven’s top-rating breakfast show.
Kyle asked them: ‘So, what is it like over there, what really happened with Sam?
‘Did you [want] her out or what happened there? You must have thought, “Okay, you’ve had enough.”‘
‘Did you want her out?’ Kochie and Natalie strongly denied rumours Sam had been forced to leave Seven’s breakfast show. ‘No, no, Sam just wanted a change of life,’ Kochie said
Kochie denied Sam had been pushed out, saying she ‘just wanted a change of life’ after marrying Bowral businessman Richard Lavender.
‘No, no, Sam just wanted a change of life, she got married,’ he said.
He then revealed it had been an open secret for months that Sam was considering leaving Sunrise and moving to country New South Wales.
Changing priorities: Kochie then revealed it had been an open secret for months that Sam (pictured with husband Richard) was considering leaving Sunrise and moving to country NSW
Natalie and Kochie weren’t the only Sunrise stars absent from Sam’s send-off, as newsreader Edwina Bartholomew and weatherman Sam Mac also didn’t attend.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on March 8 that Sam and Kochie’s professional relationship had hit an ‘all-time low’ in the months before her resignation.
Network sources claimed they barely spoke off camera, and the dynamic between them had become ‘untenable’ by early 2021.
Noticeably absent: Natalie and Kochie weren’t the only Sunrise stars absent from Sam’s send-off, as newsreader Edwina Bartholomew (left) and weatherman Sam Mac also didn’t attend
Sam’s farewell dinner came just hours after she used her last day on Sunrise to attack the media for treating her ‘unfairly’ during her eight-year tenure.
‘I do want to say that I never fully understood some of the scrutiny and the snarkiness and the bullying from some aspects of the media,’ she said on March 11.
‘But today we move on from that, because there is a new chapter starting and it has been overwhelmingly a good experience in my life.’
Former co-stars: Samantha is pictured with Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac
Sam arrived for her Sunrise send-off holding hands with her husband, Richard.
She later embraced the show’s executive producer, Michael Pell, in a rare display of unity after months of rumours they’d fallen out.
Sam had announced her resignation several days earlier, on March 8.
Familiar face: While Kochie and Natalie didn’t attend Sam’s send-off, several Channel Seven identities were there, including The Morning Show presenter Kylie Gillies
Saying goodbye: Sam embraced Sunrise’s executive producer, Michael Pell, in a rare display of unity after months of rumours they’d fallen out
Close: Sam and Kylie had a good laugh as they enjoyed a drink at her farewell party
‘I want to step out of this public world for a while and take some time and calm things down, enjoy a bit of slow living, and spend some time with my precious family, my husband and [dog] Banjo,’ she told viewers.
Weeks earlier, she’d told the News Corp-owned Stellar magazine the TV industry was filled with ‘sociopaths and narcissists’.
Her remarks greatly upset her colleagues and executives at Seven, and were described by some insiders as tantamount to ‘career suicide’.
Moving on: Sam had announced her resignation several days earlier, on March 8
‘There’s a lot about television that’s all about you and that’s an awful way to live your life. TV isn’t a place that’s necessarily very healthy,’ she said.
‘It’s full of sociopaths and narcissists. It can be a dangerous environment, let me tell you.’
She also claimed unmarried, childless women in television were treated differently and given more work compared to their married counterparts.
Controversy: Weeks earlier, she’d told the News Corp-owned Stellar magazine the TV industry was filled with ‘sociopaths and narcissists’ – remarks which upset her colleagues at Seven