He’s one of Australia’s most well-known breakfast TV hosts.
But David ‘Kochie’ Koch has revealed he was almost fired in his first year hosting Sunrise.
In an interview with New Idea on Monday, the 61-year-old finance journalist claimed he wasn’t well liked because of his outspoken personality.
‘I was almost fired’: David ‘Kochie’ Koch reveals he was almost sacked from Sunrise for being ‘too opinionated’
‘After a year, the then managing director of Seven approached the board to get me fired because they thought I was too opinionated,’ he told the publication.
‘Thankfully, I’m still here!’
David was only supposed to be filling in for three months following the cancer diagnosis of former host Chris Reason, but has now spent 15 years at the show’s helm, a period which has seen Sunrise shoot to the top of breakfast television ratings.
’15 years ago when we started, we were 10 per cent of the Today show’s audience, and we reeled them in in 18 months,’ he said.
‘Thankfully, I’m still here!’ Despite almost being fired, Kochie has now spent 15 years at the helm on Sunrise. hosting the program alongside David Beretta, Samantha Armytage, Natalie Barr and Edwina Bartholomew (pictured, left to right)
‘You’ve got to make people think and laugh’: Kochie has been credited with helping Sunrise to move in a more family-friendly direction
‘Plus, at breakfast, you can’t be beige – you’ve got to make people think and laugh.’
Co-hosting the program with Melissa Doyle before her departure in 2013, he now sits alongside Samantha Armytage, with the pair becoming one of the most recognised TV duos in Australian show business.
Good times: Kochie co-hosted the program with Melissa Doyle (pictured, left), before her departure in 2013
Building the program from virtually no viewers over his long tenure, Kochie and Melissa helped to move the program away from a hard news style format and transform it into a family-friendly show that appeals to a wide audience.
Sunrise’s rivalry with the Today show on Channel Nine has been well-documented over the years, with ratings between the two often only differing in viewers as low as 50,000.
David has been married to wife Libby since 1979, and the pair are parents to four children – Alexander, Brianna, Samantha, and Georgina.
Family man! David has been married to wife Libby since 1979, and the pair are parents to four children – Alexander, Brianna, Samantha, and Georgina