“Not what it seems”: Nat Barr clears up Sam Armytage screenshot scandal
Fans were the first to notice.
Sunrise’s Natalie Barr raised eyebrows when she accidentally shared a screenshot of Samantha Armytage.
It all started when the host shared a video on Instagram of herself responding to questions she received about a blue cardigan she wore on air.
She often posts videos talking through her TV wardrobe, and clearly didn’t intend for this one to cause a stir.
The video was filmed from Nat’s kitchen, and fans noticed that her phone gallery was exposed, which included a screenshot of her former Sunrise colleague when she returned to fill in on the Today Show.
With much chatter surrounding the gaffe, New Idea has been told that it was nothing but an “awkward mistake”.
“It’s honestly just a funny, awkward social media moment that has been blown way out of proportion,” our insider dishes.
At the time of publication, the video has been deleted, but there were reports that Nat noticed the faux pas, deleted the original video and reposted a cropped version without her photo gallery.
The screenshot appeared to be from an article from the Daily Telegraph that had the title, “Samantha Armytage’s Today debut fails to dent Sunrise ratings“.
New Idea understands that someone from Seven’s wardrobe department had initially sent the screenshot because Sam was wearing a similar cardigan that Nat had been wearing.
Our source claims that it was automatically saved to Nat’s camera roll from WhatsApp, and she was unaware that it was in her gallery.
“Nat has nothing but enormous respect for all of her colleagues both past and present. She isn’t interested in manufactured rivalries,” the insider continues.
The pair worked together on Seven’s morning news show for years before Sam left Sunrise in 2021, and Nat replaced her as a host alongside David Koch, who’s known as “Kochie”.
Both morning shows have been locked in a rivalry for years, with Sunrise dominating whilst Nine figures out what to do to replace Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo.
Since she left Seven, Samantha joined Nine and has completed stints on the Today Show, as well as hosting the network’s dating show, The Golden Bachelor.
Sam has returned to Today while Sarah Abo is on maternity leave, with rumours swirling that Sam could permanently join the panel following Karl Stefanovic’s exit.
“This was never planned, but Sam is throwing her hat in the ring for the gig,” the insider exclusively dishes.
“It’s exactly the type of situation she’s been after – a permanent role but not one that will go on forever.”
