Entertainment

Scott Morrison takes epic swipe at Karl Stefanovic’s past in tense TV row

Sep 05, 2018

Karl Stefanovic grilled Scott Morrison on the Today show. Source: Facebook/iwakeupwithtoday.

Karl Stefanovic is known for his harsh interviews and live TV grillings, but he was left red-faced by Australia’s prime minister on Wednesday, live on the Today show.

Scott Morrison hit back at the TV host, 44, and took a subtle swipe at his scandalous past love life, after Stefanovic claimed he had no control over his party and compared them to “an absolute dog’s breakfast” when describing a series of inside leaks following the leadership spill.

“Your party is an absolute dog’s breakfast… Grab the Selleys, stop the leaks and you might have a chance. There is a leak every day,” Stefanovic said. According to news.com.au, he even added: “If you can’t control the leaks you might as well be captain of the Titanic.”

Attempting to take back control of the escalating exchange, Morrison insisted the “Muppet Show” was now over and insisted: “The curtain has come down on that. A new generation of Liberal leadership is in place.”

As Stefanovic continued to press him on the recent leaks from inside his party, Morrison hit back and said any claims he’s not in control are “rubbish”, before adding: “Karl, you’ve been through some torrid events in your career and look at you. You are Australia’s hero. You get over these things. You move past them.”

Stefanovic appeared visibly shocked at first, before smiling at the ‘hero’ reference and laughing it off – eventually getting a matching smile from Morrison, as the PM admitted he should take inspiration from the TV star himself.

A much happier Stefanovic joked: “Don’t take anything from me my friend, just go on and lead this country.”

Stefanovic has been making headlines over the last few months following his very public and bitter divorce from ex wife Cassandra Thorburn. The Today show host split from Thorburn, 44, in 2016 after 21 years of marriage and months later started a new relationship with younger fashion designer and model Jasmine Yarbrough.

Thorburn recently gave her first ever TV interview to reveal the impact the divorce had on her and their children, telling Channel 7’s The Morning Show that the publicity their separation got made it harder on them all.

Cassandra Thorburn has released her very first children's book, with the profits helping families going through separation. #TMS7 pic.twitter.com/ES46wdOL1e

— The Morning Show (@morningshowon7) September 2, 2018

The mum-of-three was on the show to promote her new children’s book, Leo Lion’s Big Bed, and revealed the profits from the sales will be going towards charity and counselling service Relationships Australia, an organisation particularly close to her heart after her own heartbreak.

“They work with families in various areas, and they also prioritise children in the separation process,” she said of the organisation. “What I mean by prioritise is they help the parents who are separating with everything like when to tell children, all those steps, they help with mediation, some of it is free and funded by the government…

“I thought it was perfect for us to put the profits there because it’s important to me, it’s part of what my children and I have been through that led to me writing a children’s book.”

Asked how challenging divorce can be for children, Cassandra explained: “I think everyone knows separation and divorce can be particularly challenging for the children especially.”

She added: “It [divorce from Karl] being so public probably wasn’t perfect, but now I’ve got to write a children’s book and I’m stepping out to say ‘feel comfortable in yourself and be comfortable in your skin, and pursue the things you want to, regardless of what’s going on on the sidelines’.”