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Kerri-Anne Kennerley criticizes Studio 10 for ‘waking up’ two years after being fired – as ratings plummet under new progressive agenda
Kerri-Anne Kennerley says it’s “sad” to see Studio 10 become an insufferable wake-fest after she was fired from the show two years ago.
The former queen of daytime television got her marching orders in August 2020 as Network Ten desperately tried to cut costs during the Covid pandemic.
Her departure from the show coincided with Studio 10’s content becoming more politically progressive, as well as a sharp drop in ratings.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley (pictured) says it’s ‘sad’ to see Studio 10 become an insufferable wake-fest after being fired from the show two years ago
Kennerley, 69, told women’s Day she suspects that after a few minor controversies, the producers succumbed to shaking up opinion and canceling the culture.
‘I don’t know what was going on in the minds of the producers. They all got scared. They ran away in my opinion,” she said in an interview published Monday.
“When I was in Studio 10, I really felt like we were getting better and better every week. I think in the 18 months that I was there, they got more attention and more press than at any time in the previous five or six years.”
She continued: ‘And if I had produced it, I would have doubled it. I would have said, “Okay, let’s move on, let’s get more controversial.”‘
Kennerley got her marching orders in August 2020 as Network Ten desperately tried to cut costs during the Covid pandemic. Her departure from the show coincided with Studio 10’s content becoming more politically progressive, as well as a sharp drop in ratings.
While Studio 10 never competed with Nine’s Today Extra or Seven’s The Morning Show, Studio 10 once had a loyal audience of over-50s tuning in to the panel debate every morning news events from different political perspectives.
But ratings have been in freefall for the past two years after ditching the panel in favor of a two-anchor format, aided by Sarah Harris and Tristan MacManus.
The show has also undergone a notable shift to the left politically since 2020, which may be due to the influence of younger producers and news anchor Narelda Jacobs.
This move has baffled many industry insiders, as Studio 10’s main audience is older, more conservative Australians who still watch TV during the day.
Kennerley, 69, told Woman’s Day she suspects the producers gave in to arouse opinions and cancel culture after a few minor controversies
A source said Kennerley’s resignation in 2020 was odd because her center-right views mirror those of the average Studio 10 viewer.
However, her departure is believed to have been primarily a cost-cutting measure, with Kennerley telling Woman’s Day, “I like to think it wasn’t personal.”
The Logie Hall of Famer often made headlines during her 18 months on Studio 10, most notably being the center of a feud with panelist Yumi Stynes.
The show has undergone a notable political shift to the left since 2020. American non-binary activist and poet Alok Vaid-Menon was interviewed in Studio 10 in September (photo)
Stynes accused Kennerley live on air of “sounding like a racist” for suggesting First Nations people should be more concerned about abuse in remote Indigenous communities than changing the Australia Day date.
In the wake of the controversy, Kennerley met Aboriginal women in outback NT after being invited by the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group.
She later said she “learned a lot” from the experience.
This move has baffled many, as Studio 10’s audience is older, conservative Australians who still watch TV during the day. (Pictured: Kennerley and former Studio 10 host Joe Hildebrand)