Television presenter Tony Armstrong has said it has been “a funny old week” in the lead-up to his departure from ABC News Breakfast.
“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,” he said this morning during his final appearance on the breakfast show.
TV presenter Tony Armstrong announces he will leave ABC News Breakfast.Credit: ABC
In response, News Breakfast co-host Michael Rowland asked whether “the nicer people outweigh the horrible people”, to which Armstrong said “of course”.
The Gold Logie nominee announced last week that he would be leaving the show, which he has been part of for three years.
On Monday, he was criticised on Media Watch for voicing a commercial for NRMA insurance.
Since then, he has received a deluge of racist abuse on social media and in comments on news sites. This abuse occurred the same week the ABC released a report on racism at the broadcaster, which included accounts of staff being subjected to public attacks from social media, individuals, and other news media.
Despite the trolling he has experienced over the past week, Armstrong thanked the show’s team, as well as its viewers.
“News Breakfast has given me everything, really. It’s given me … It’s given me a joyride.”
He went on to say being on the show has meant he can now “leave on his own terms into whatever is next. I don’t really know exactly what it is yet.“
In announcing his departure, the broadcaster said Armstrong would host a new ABC show screening in 2025.
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