The day has come. Australia’s boyfriend Tony Armstrong has officially said goodbye to his time on ABC News Breakfast — the programme that saw him become a household name — after he announced he was leaving the show earlier this month.
Speaking to the audience, Armstrong said that he had “mixed feelings” about saying see ya to the programme.
“You can tell by my body language, I don’t like talking about myself too much, despite being in a career where I’m in front of a camera,” he said.
“It’s been such a whirlwind three years. Believe it or not, I was nervous when I started. It didn’t last long. But yeah, that wasn’t all that long ago. And yeah, News Breakfast has given me everything, really. It’s given me… It’s given me a joy ride!”
Amstrong thanked the program, and the team, for the “lovely memories” his time on the show had given him. And, in true News Breakfast spirit, the whole gang gave him lighthearted shit for being a non-morning person on breakfast television. God bless.
“I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in today to be able to walk out on my own terms, and into whatever is next,” he said.
“I don’t really know exactly what it is yet… I’m just very thankful to everyone who watches and everyone who said such nice things to me across the course of this week particularly.
“It’s been a funny old week. But yeah, people have been really, really nice to me.”
But his new era isn’t the only reason he has appreciated the kind words. On Monday, Armstrong found himself in the centre of a scandal when Media Watch — a show on his own network — ran a story about how he broke ABC policy to provide a voice-over to private NRMA insurance ads. They claimed that according to ABC policies, high-profile employees like Armstrong must seek out permission before engaging in work outside the national network.
It was a pretty low blow from the ABC, but it got worse when Armstrong began receiving a barrage of racially fuelled hate in response to the segment. He took to social media to share some of the awful messages he’d been receiving, including a post where he claimed to have received two racial slurs “before 8am”.
ABC News Director Justin Stevens slammed the abuse Armstrong had copped, telling PEDESTRIAN.TV that he was “dismayed” by the public’s response to the segment.
“Tony Armstrong is one of the ABC’s best and most talented presenters,” Stevens said.
“This week he has again been targeted on social media and in public comments on news websites in a despicable way. The ABC stands by Tony and will not tolerate any racist abuse.”
Armstrong announced that he was leaving the programme on September 24.
Armstrong joined the talented News Breakfast team in 2020. His star power was quickly noticed by fans and industry big dogs alike and in 2022, he won a Logie for Best New Talent. In 2024, he took a massive step up and was nominated for the coveted Gold Logie for Most Popular Presenter. And to top it all off, he even claimed the PEDESTRIAN TELEVISION Icon Of The Year Award.
While his departure from News Breakfast is sad for fans, it’s an exciting new era for the rising star. Enjoy your sleep-ins, Tone!
The post Tony Armstrong Says Farewell To ABC News Breakfast In Bittersweet Farewell: ‘Mixed Feelings’ appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
