Sunrise host Natalie Barr appears to take a subtle swipe at Sam Armytage as she says ‘people are sick of TV hosts complaining about the scrutiny they face’… after the former anchor blasted the media on her last day
Sunrise host Natalie Barr made some interesting comments about life in the spotlight during an interview with TV Week on Monday, leading to speculation they may have been in reference to her predecessor Sam Armytage.
The 53-year-old presenter said everyday Australians don’t like it when TV stars complain about the press and social media trolls, adding that she’s ‘ready’ for the scrutiny she will inevitably face after being promoted from newsreader to anchor.
Viewers will remember that Armytage, 44, would often gripe about her critics during her eight-year tenure on Sunrise, and even took a parting shot at the ‘bullying’ media during her last day on the Seven breakfast show in March.
What are you trying to say, Nat? Sunrise host Natalie Barr made some interesting comments about life in the spotlight during an interview with TV Week on Monday, leading to speculation they may have been in reference to her predecessor Sam Armytage
‘I think people get sick of people in TV complaining about the attention,’ Barr told the magazine.
‘I’ve turned off all these notifications on my Twitter feed. I can block people in my DMs [direct messages], or I report them, as everyone does in the modern world. I think you’ve got to take that attitude.’
Turning her attention from social media to the press, Barr said she won’t be taking negative headlines personally.
Her view: Barr said everyday Aussies don’t like it when TV stars complain about the press and social media trolls, adding that she’s ‘ready’ for the scrutiny she’ll inevitably face after being promoted from newsreader to anchor. Pictured with Armytage (left) and Kylie Gillies (right)
‘I’m sure people will write stuff that’s incorrect. But people have worse lives [than I do]. I promise you I won’t complain,’ she said.
The Seven veteran, who shares two sons with her husband, Andrew Thompson, added that she’s seen it all during her 30 years working in newsrooms.
‘I get hate mail, I get death threats,’ she said. ‘I defy you to offend me.’
Barr’s ‘brush-it-off’ attitude is in stark contrast to how Armytage handled trolling and negative press attention when she hosted Sunrise from 2013 until March this year.
‘I never fully understood some of the scrutiny’: Viewers will remember that Armytage, 44, would often gripe about her critics during her eight-year tenure on Sunrise, and even took a parting shot at the ‘bullying’ media during her last day on the show in March
She would ferociously hit back at her critics online, often with the support of Sunrise executive producer Michael Pell, and even singled out the media during her farewell speech on her last day on March 11.
‘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 at the time.
‘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.’
She continued: ‘Most of all, I thank all of our viewers. You are just wonderful people. There are so many lovely people. So many more lovely ones than the nasty ones.’
Different approaches: Barr’s ‘brush-it-off’ attitude is in stark contrast to how Armytage handled trolling and negative press attention when she hosted Sunrise from 2013 until March this year. Pictured on Sunrise with co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch (right)