Tom Steinfort’s latest return to the Today desk may look like a brand-new beginning to casual morning viewers, but his history with Channel Nine’s flagship breakfast show stretches back years.
Long before his current stint in the studio, however, his investigative journalism career had already taken him far beyond the polished world of morning television — making his position today feel unexpectedly full-circle.
Steinfort has once again found himself stepping into the spotlight at one of the most uncertain and high-stakes moments in the program’s recent history.
The seasoned Nine journalist has recently been paired with guest host Samantha Armytage as network executives continue navigating the post-Karl Stefanovic era.
Industry reports have increasingly placed Steinfort among the serious frontrunners for a permanent hosting role, following positive audience feedback and a noticeable spike in morning ratings.
However, Channel Nine bosses have not yet formally confirmed him as Today’s next permanent anchor.
For viewers who are discovering a new, relaxed side to Steinfort through his recent breakfast appearances, it may feel like the start of an unexpected chapter.
Yet his deep roots with Today trace back much further than many realize.
A Today chapter that began in a time of turmoil
Back in 2019, Steinfort was thrust into the center of a major breakfast TV experiment when he joined a dramatically revamped Today line-up.
He was appointed as the program’s main news presenter, sharing the desk alongside co-hosts Georgie Gardner and Deborah Knight.
It proved to be a notoriously challenging period for the long-running morning show, which faced fierce ratings competition and relentless media scrutiny.
When Channel Nine chose to reshape the program once again for the 2020 broadcasting year, Steinfort’s time in that specific line-up came to an end as part of the broader executive overhaul.
However, that departure was far from the end of his rising career at Nine.
In fact, even before taking on the Today newsreader desk in 2019, Steinfort had already forged an impressive hard-news resume that looked remarkably different from the soft, breezy environment of breakfast television.
Far beyond the studio: War zones, world leaders, and global drama
Steinfort’s journey with Nine began in the Melbourne newsroom, but his natural reporting instincts quickly propelled him onto the international stage.
As a foreign correspondent, his assignments saw him traveling to more than 50 countries, placing him right on the frontlines of landmark historical events.
His extensive career footprint includes gaining rare reporting access inside North Korea, tracking Donald Trump’s fiery 2016 US presidential campaign trail, and covering the high-profile Oscar Pistorius murder trial in South Africa.
Later, as a star investigative reporter for 60 Minutes, Steinfort took on some of the world’s most dangerous assignments.
Among his most celebrated pieces was a harrowing, exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inside a secret war bunker in Kyiv during the height of the 2022 Russian invasion.
Those years built an elite journalistic resume that stands in stark, fascinating contrast to the calm, warm morning television persona viewers are watching today.
Furthermore, Steinfort’s familiarity with breakfast broadcasting isn’t limited to his 2019 newsreader gig. He previously co-hosted Weekend Today after returning to Sydney in 2017, proving his versatility across both hard-news reporting and live lifestyle television.
Why his latest return carries so much weight
Steinfort’s current professional standing is markedly different from where he stood during his first weekday Today stint in 2019.
Since January 2024, he has co-anchored 9News Melbourne alongside Alicia Loxley, holding down one of Nine’s most vital and high-rating evening bulletin slots.
That prestigious newsreader post creates a complex dilemma for network executives eyeing him for Sydney-based morning TV.
While television insiders suggest Steinfort is highly regarded as a long-term solution for Today, permanently reassigning him to breakfast television would force Nine to restructure its winning Melbourne 6pm desk.
His recent trial on air alongside former Sunrise star Samantha Armytage has only intensified the ongoing executive debate.
Industry ratings revealed a significant viewership bump during their co-hosting week, sparking chatter that Nine may have accidentally stumbled upon a new morning “dream team”.
For now, Channel Nine management remains tight-lipped regarding who will permanently claim the vacant breakfast chair.
A full-circle moment in Australian television
That lingering network uncertainty is precisely what makes Steinfort’s current situation so compelling to media watchers.
Years ago, he was just one piece of a newly assembled Today team trying to find its footing amid executive pressure.
In the years since, he has traveled the world, reported from active war zones for 60 Minutes, and anchored one of the country’s biggest evening news broadcasts.
Now, he has returned to the exact same morning desk at another pivotal turning point for Channel Nine.
Only this time, he isn’t just filling a supporting newsreader role — his name is being championed as the anchor who could potentially lead the program into its next era.
Whether this studio return turns into a permanent move remains to be seen.
However, when viewed alongside his 2019 debut and the extraordinary global reporting journey in between, Tom Steinfort’s presence behind the Today desk feels vastly more full-circle than anyone could have anticipated.