Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch is this morning bidding a final farewell to the show he’s fronted for more than 5,300 episodes.
And it’s been an emotional goodbye for the veteran host, who announced his retirement from the morning TV show at the end of May.
Co-host Natalie Barr saved her speech for the final minutes of today’s episode, breaking down as she paid tribute to the colleague she described as “one of her best friends.”
Kochie himself kept it together as he bid his final farewell – until he thanked his family for their support, choking up as he embraced his wife.
“t has been the most spectacular job; been the biggest venture. I’ve loved it. I couldn’t have done it alone, and I didn’t do it alone,” he said.
Earlier, he received a hero’s welcome as he entered the studio, welling up Barr, newsreader Edwina Bartholomew and sports presenter Mark Beretta greeted him at the desk.
“Thank you for everything. Thank you. Oh dear. Quick, I’ve got to [read] the news,” Koch said, wiping away tears.
Soon after, Koch appeared distracted at the desk, looking at his phone – and confessed that he’d been exchanging text messages with Nine’s rival morning show star, Today host Karl Stefanovic.
“Karl and I are texting,” he told Nat Barr, who told him to “focus on the task at hand.”
“I asked him if he had a Sportsbet booked on me crying on the show, and he said, ‘No, my missus closed my account last year when I bet on the camel races in Dubai,’” he said.
“Well, as we walked in, you were already crying, so someone won some money,” said Nat Barr.
Former Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage, who left the show in 2021, also made a brief appearance in the studio to wish her former co-host well.
Armytage, who famously blasted the media for “scrutiny, snarkiness and bullying” throughout her career during her farewell to Sunrise, returned to the topic as she congratulated Koch on his 21 years in the job.
“This job is so incredibly difficult, and you can’t say it when you’re in the job, because no one wants to hear you complaining,” she began.
“But when you’re not in the job anymore, you can say how hard this is. There is so much scrutiny. To get up day after day and do this: the resilience, the drive, the ability, the energy to just keep coming in here every day and do that is extraordinary. I absolutely salute you. After eight years, I couldn’t do it anymore. 21 I just think is extraordinary.”
Both Koch and Barr sat on the sofa across from Armytage during her appearance. Tensions between Barr and Armytage had previously spilled over publicly after Barr took over the Sunrise co-host role when Armytage resigned.
“Look.. I’m out. Nat’s wanted the job, forever.. & she’s finally got it. She just needs to get on & enjoy it – & forget about me..(even though I’m unforgettable),” Amytage tweeted in 2021, in response to Barr saying in an interview that the pair didn’t socialise outside the office and had “vastly different lives.”
Mel Doyle, who was Kochie’s co-host from 2002 to 2013, also appeared in the studio to reflect on the show’s humble beginnings.
“Remember when we bet our boss to take us to lunch if we hit 40,000 viewers?” she asked of the program’s early days. Kochie recalled that when the show first began, their office was “a demountable in the car park.”
There were emotional scenes when Barr and Koch sat down for an in-depth interview, reminiscing about some of his highlights from 20 years on-air.
“Really, thanks for everything,” Barr told her co-host, tears in her eyes.
Meanwhile, former Olympian Matt “Shirvo” Shirvington was recently announced as Koch’s replacement.
He is a familiar face for Sunrise viewers after filling in for Koch multiple times in recent weeks and two years on the network as Seven’s weekend sports presenter.
Shirvington revealed the kind words the departing Sunrise host said to him once he was confirmed for the role.
“You said to me this week, ‘You’re the perfect fit and you’re gonna have the time of your life’ and that meant so much, Kochie,” he told the departing host.
Koch went on to add that he thought his replacement would be “sensational” in the role.
“Congratulations, mate. The show is in such good hands,” he said.
“This show is way bigger than any one individual, and everyone plays such an important role. You will be sensational, so well done.”