Kerri-Anne Kennerley fought back tears last week as she spoke about being sacked from Studio 10 as part of the network’s brutal budget cuts.
And according to a well-placed source at the network, the 66-year-old TV veteran was furious that she lost her job while Channel 10’s nightly current affairs show The Project was left untouched.
‘KAK would not be happy The Project has been left alone,’ the insider told Woman’s Day on Monday.
To make matters worse, Kennerley has apparently been blacklisted from appearing on The Project as a guest host or panellist for the remainder of her contract with 10.
Upset: Sacked Studio 10 host Kerri-Anne Kennerley (pictured) is ‘not happy’ The Project escaped unscathed during the network’s recent budget cuts as it’s claimed she’s already eyeing off new roles with Sky News and Channel Nine
The source said the network considered Kennerley, who is known for her conservative views, a ‘loose canon’ and feared that she would try to ‘pull a stunt’ if she were allowed on The Project, which is known for its left-leaning stance.
The talk show queen has attracted her fair share of controversy while on Studio 10, particularly with her politically-incorrect monologues and controversial comments.
Her opinion on Aboriginal issues in January 2019 sparked significant backlash, and was the subject of a complaint to the TV watchdog.
In October last year, she also made divisive remarks about climate change protesters and said she supported tougher sentences.
Still intact: A source said the 66-year-old TV veteran was ‘not happy’ The Project survived Channel 10’s brutal budget cuts unscathed. Pictured: The Project hosts Peter Helliar, Lisa Wilkinson, Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore
Despite her abrupt sacking, New Idea reported on Monday that she has been planning her next move and is looking at a presenting role on Sky News.
The publication added that Kennerley might move back to her original network, Channel Nine, and reboot her talk show Midday.
They also added that Kennerley could replace Deb Thomas as an adviser on Nine’s reboot of The Celebrity Apprentice, which is set to start filming later this year.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 and Kennerley’s management for comment.
Time for a revamp? The publication reported that Kerri-Anne was interested in moving back to her original network, Channel Nine, and revamping her talk show Midday. Pictured is Kerri-Anne on Channel Nine with former PM Kevin Rudd and his wife Therese in 2007
Stepping in? The insider added that Kerri-Anne might replace Deb Thomas as an adviser on The Celebrity Apprentice, which is set to start filming later this year. Pictured: Kerri-Anne with Mark Bouris and Shelley Barrett in 2015
On Wednesday, Kennerley bid a tearful farewell to Studio 10 viewers live on air, less than 24 hours after being sacked from the network as a cost-cutting measure.
She acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic had made it necessary to tighten the budget, and thanked her friends and colleagues for their support.
‘I just know I’m back on the “lazy Susan” of television. Yeah, it’s very, very tough for a lot of people,’ she began.
‘It’s very, very tough for a lot of people’: Last week, Kerri-Anne bid a teary farewell to Studio 10 viewers live on air. She acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic had made it necessary to tighten the network’s budget
Pals: Kennerley, who joined Studio 10 as a part-time panellist in September 2018, went on to say just how much she treasures the friendships she’s made along the way. Pictured is Sarah Harris, Kerri-Anne, Joe Hildebrand and Angela Bishop
‘But I’ve always worked on a personal level, the Charles Darwin theory that says to survive you don’t need to be the most intelligent, you don’t have to be the strongest, but you have to be, to survive, the most adaptable,’ she said.
Kennerley, who joined Studio 10 as a part-time panellist in September 2018, went on to say just how much she treasures the friendships she’s made along the way.
‘I’ve had a ball! And the reason why I’ve got this outfit today is because, if you’re being run out of town, get in front of the parade or get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade!’ she added with a salute.
‘If you’re being run out of town, get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade’: Kerri-Anne gave her farewell to viewers with a salute last week when she addressed her axing
It comes after Australians called for Channel 10 to axe The Project, as the network cuts at least 25 jobs in response to the COVID-19 recession.
On Tuesday, The Project and its hosts managed to avoid the swinging axe as the broadcaster announced a dramatic ‘restructuring’ of its news division, with the likes of Kennerley, Natarsha Belling and Tim Bailey being made redundant.
But many furious viewers have said that the left-leaning current affairs show, hosted by Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore, should have been first on the chopping block.
The Project has been on the air since 2009 and is hosted on weeknights by Aly, Bickmore and comedian Peter Helliar. Its Sunday edition is hosted by Lisa Wilkinson.
The program also features a variety of regular guest hosts, including Tommy Little, Gorgi Coghlan and Rachel Corbett.
‘Should have sacked the muppets on The Project instead,’ one furious viewer wrote on Facebook after news of the cuts broke.
‘Axe the Project, it’s s**t,’ another commented, while a third wrote: ‘Sack The Project.’
‘Now they need to cancel The Project and sack Waleed Aly and they might start getting more viewers,’ one angry viewer posted.
Despite the uproar, The Project has won several Logie Awards over the years for Most Popular Panel and Most Popular Presenter, which are voted for by the public.
In fact, Aly was awarded the coveted Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television in 2016.
Aly and Bickmore are believed to earn the same annual salary of $500,000.
The Queensland Times reported in 2015 that they had ‘matching deals’ with Channel 10, but this situation may have changed since.
When Wilkinson joined The Project in 2018, her deal with the network was rumoured to be close to $2.3million.
Despite Channel 10’s news and operations department being ‘restructured’ in response to the sharp decline in advertising revenue, The Project hasn’t been affected by the cuts.
Daily Mail Australia understands this is because network chief Beverley McGarvey considers the show an essential part of the daily schedule.
‘[The Project] will never be cancelled because senior management won’t hear a bad word said against it,’ a source said earlier this year.
‘For some reason, the higher-ups at Channel 10 love it, even though the viewers don’t. It doesn’t rate, it’s expensive to produce and a lot of the publicity it generates is negative.’
The Project also wasn’t affected because it’s produced by an external company, Roving Enterprises, and isn’t part of the news and operations division.
At least 25 jobs have been axed at Channel 10 overall, with further redundancies to be announced in the coming weeks, and the changes are expected to be effective from September 14.
Morning show Studio 10 has been hit the worst, with outspoken panellist Kennerley and journalist Natarsha Belling being made redundant.
Host Sarah Harris and entertainment reporter Angela Bishop are staying, and Denise Drysdale and Denise Scott will continue as contributors.
Narelda Jacobs will remain as newsreader and Jono Coleman will present the advertorial segments as normal.
Panellist Joe Hildebrand hasn’t lost his job yet, but is understood to be in talks with the network about his future.
As part of the company restructure, the 10 News First weekday operation will be centralised in Sydney and Melbourne, and the network will move to a national weekday weather model fronted by Tim Bailey’s to-be-announced replacement.
Sydney, Brisbane and Perth will all host their news bulletins out of Sydney, while Melbourne and Adelaide will be based out of Melbourne.
Sandra Sully and Matt Burke will host the Sydney and Brisbane bulletins, and Jennifer Keyte and Stephen Quartermain will host the Melbourne and Adelaide edition.
A new team will be announced to host the Perth news.
Channel 10’s network director of news content, Ross Dagan, said in a statement about the job cuts: ‘The decision to make these changes was a very difficult one and I want to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to our friends and colleagues who will leave the network.
‘It is in no way a reflection of their talent, contribution or passion. They are exceptionally gifted people. We are incredibly proud of them and their work. There is no doubt they will be missed.
‘These painful changes reflect the state of the media industry in recent years and the need for all media companies to achieve new efficiencies.
‘While our viewers in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth will see some on-air changes, we will continue to produce local news and employ local reporters, camera operators and production staff in those cities.’
Beverley McGarvey, Channel 10’s chief content officer, added: ‘These decisions are not being made lightly; however, they are essential to future-proofing our business.’
The decision to axe 25 staff members comes three months after the broadcaster announced the closure of its news website 10 Daily.