Channel Nine investigates ‘heated’ on-set incident involving star newsreader Georgie Gardner – as junior staffer makes complaint

Channel Nine is investigating claims about a heated on-set incident between star presenter Georgie Gardner and staff last month.

It is alleged the confrontation took place after Gardner, 54, read the Sydney news bulletin.

A complaint has been filed by a junior employee and Nine has launched an internal investigation, it said. The Sunday Telegraph.

“It’s the talk of the office right now,” an insider told the publication.

Gardner did not appear on the program for two weeks after the alleged incident, but her absence was unrelated and was classified as a “planned leave.”

“People were upset about the incident, but when they thought she had been sidelined for a few weeks, they were able to cope with it,” an insider said.

On September 13, Gardner resumed her work as a news anchor, hosting Friday and Saturday evening shows.

Nine did not comment on the allegation when approached by The Sunday Telegraph, instead saying in a statement: “Georgie Gardner is a highly respected long-standing member of our Nine News team. We have no further comment to offer.”

Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Nine for comment.

Gardner is a presenter at Nine News in Sydney, reading the 6pm news bulletin on Friday and Saturday nights.

Gardner joined the network in 2002, beginning her time at Nine as a weather presenter and afternoon update presenter.

In 2006, she replaced Leila McKinnon as anchor of National Nine News Morning Edition and went on to anchor the Today Show for eight years.

In 2009, Gardner was also named weekend anchor for the 6:00 p.m. news, while still co-hosting the Today Show.

In 2014, she left Today to spend more time with her family, but continued to report occasionally for 60 Minutes and 9News.

The blonde presenter replaced Lisa Wilkinson on the Today Show in 2018 and sat alongside Karl Stefanovic on Channel Nine’s morning show for a year.

In 2019, she co-hosted the show with Deborah Knight.

Last year, Gardner openly explained why her role as co-host alongside Karl Stefanovic wasn’t working out.

In the podcast It’s All Her, Gardner spoke at length about the job, saying it was a “privilege” to be given the opportunity to play the role.

But with the issues surrounding Stefanovic’s public divorce from ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn and his relationship with current wife Jasmine Yarbrough, things within the studio began to take their toll.

“Unfortunately it didn’t last long because I had no control over it,” she said.

‘I hosted with Karl for a year, which was a lot of fun. But it was also a period in his personal life where a lot was happening. And there was a lot of noise.

“We could never really get a handle on it, because there was always so much speculation about his personal life. It was really hard for him. And it was hard for us.”

The journalist subsequently denied earlier reports about the tense relationship between the two.

“We got along really well and we really liked each other. There was actually great chemistry,” she continued.

“Anyway, one thing led to another: he was taken off the show. In fact, they took everyone off, which was very, very hard for me.”

Stefanovic was ousted from the Today show before Deborah Knight joined Gardner in 2019.

But after completely revamping the show and hiring new hosts, Gardner said the morning program was still struggling and decided to step down from her role.

“It got to the point where I saw that it just wasn’t going to work. So I just gracefully left stage left and just kept going with my news, which I still do,” Gardner added.

Six years ago, Gardner was confirmed as the long-awaited replacement for Lisa Wilkinson.

But the period next to Stefanovic was short-lived, with The Sunday Telegraph and then claimed they “couldn’t stand each other.”

According to the publication, Gardner only agreed to appear on Channel Nine’s halftime show “after being assured she would only spend one year with Karl”. However, a spokesperson for the network dismissed the report as “nonsense”.

Stefanovic found Georgie “humorless” while she saw him as someone with a “big ego,” News Corp. claimed.

Gardner reportedly only agreed to the Today presenter role on the condition that she wouldn’t have to work with Karl for long.

“She signed up for the show after being assured she would only have to work with Karl for one year,” an anonymous executive told The Sunday Telegraph at the time.

‘After that he’ll be gone and Nine will take on a new role for her, so she can work with someone else.’

Stefanovic agreed to Gardner’s terms because he had been “pushing” for him to leave Today for some time, the story alleged.

However, a Channel Nine spokesperson said there was no truth to the report, telling Daily Mail Australia: “That’s nonsense.”