Rumoured replacement for Kochie on Sunrise
David Koch announced the shocking news that he will be stepping down from his hosting duties on Sunrise after a 20 year run.
The news of his departure has quickly turned the attention to who will be replacing him.
The veteran TV presenter announced he was quitting on air, saying it was “now time to work in business hours” and “focus on our big family”.
His last show will be June 9.
A clue hinting at a possible replacement for Koch comes after former Ten personality Dr Chris Brown announced he was leaving the network and has signed a two-year deal with Seven, believed to be worth a staggering $1 million per year.
The network is yet to reveal plans for Brown, 44, with people now speculating he could be filling Koch's shoes.
In a statement after announcing his new contract, Brown revealed he would be starting “in the second half of the year and beyond with Seven”, while a network spokesperson confirmed he was officially commencing work “in July”.
Brown had been with Channel 10 since 2008 with his beloved program, Bondi Vet.
More recently, he co-hosted I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here with Julia Morris, and starred in The Living Room, which was “rested” in 2023.
It is understood that Brown was frustrated with the lack of opportunities on offer to him at Ten, particularly after The Living Room axed production.
He told The Daily Telegraph in December 2022, “I think you’d have to check the TV dictionary,” referring to the show being on “hiatus”.
“The Oxford TV dictionary defines hiatus as cloudy with a chance of coming back but it is very unclear. Who knows what is happening.”
Meanwhile, Koch said on air that he was “finding it harder” to continue in the role.
“I have decided to hang up the boots as co-host of Sunrise. After nearly 21 years and over 5300 shows, 16,000 hours of TV, it is now time to work in business hours and have a bit of flexibility to focus more on our big family and the family business. And frankly, my football club as well. (Koch is chairman of the Port Adelaide Football Club.)
“So after 20 consecutive premierships in the breakfast TV ratings game, I’m frankly finding it harder to get off the ground to take those marks and I think it’s time to bring [in] the next generation.”
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