Seven on Saturday refused to be included in the industry talk with a spokesperson, making a statement: « Andrew O’Keefe has been a valued member of the Seven On Air family for many years and continues to host The Chase Australia on. « »
That contradicting, well-placed conversation claimed O’Keefe could leave and suggested that network bosses created a wish list of replacement hosts, including Rove McManus.
O’Keefe’s deal with the TV broadcaster is slated to expire in late 2020, giving TV managers the chance to move on to another after his 17-year relationship with a star who has struggled with mental health problems and scandals for a decade Direction to move.
Also, Seven is put in the box to work out a new, tougher short-term contract that will give the network more power.
O’Keefe’s persistent mental health problems and repeated admissions to rehab for mental and emotional « exhaustion » have weighed on his work in recent years.
The TV host admitted to this columnist in 2019 that O’Keefe men, including his famous uncle rocker Johnny O’Keefe, who died of a drug overdose at age 43, had a streak in them « that borders on mania « .
The TV presenter’s craze for a party he shares with his uncle has also made him an easy target for paparazzi and women’s magazines.
O’Keefe’s lengthy absences have forced Seven and ITV Studios Australia, producer of The Chase, to put the show on an early break in production for the past two years, costing the co-production partners money and testing their insurance policies.
Seven, ITV, O’Keefe, and an ensemble of regular « Chaser » quiz show candidates have managed to record weeks of additional episodes to ensure enough shows are in the can to cover any unplanned absence from the host.
Previously, the network was forced to run rerun episodes of the program to cover O’Keefe’s absences.
In February 2020, a Seven spokesperson confirmed that The Chase production had been postponed again to « give Andrew O’Keefe … time to address and recover from a health problem. »
According to O’Keefe, the problem arises out of grief following his father’s death in 2014 and the end of his marriage in 2017, which coincided with their split as the host of Weekend Sunrise.
« Painful emotions generally lead to unhelpful behaviors because nobody likes to live with the pain. They want to get rid of it as soon as possible, » he told The Sunday Telegraph in 2019.
O’Keefe has said he hopes to host the show « as long as it is hosted and as long as (Seven) wants me, » but with the show being critically important to Seven’s Prime Time Ratings as a trailblazer on its 6pm newscast James Warburton, CEO of Seven, is asked to consider whether O’Keefe’s time at the helm of the game show is up.
If O’Keefe were to leave, media all-rounder McManus, who last hosted ABC’s New Year’s Eve fireworks, is high on producers’ wish lists, insiders say, along with Grant Denyer, who is now seeing a surge in popularity thanks to his appearance at I’m A Celebrity Get me out of here.
Denyer is said to be 10 at the end of his contract, despite a 10 spokeswoman refusing to confirm it on Saturday.
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