‘Curveball’: Today star Sarah Abo announces early maternity leave exit
Today Show host Sarah Abo has been forced to leave maternity leave early, in another blow to the struggling morning show.
Abo, who is heavily pregnant, shared the news on her Instagram story on Wednesday morning, saying “something went wrong” and that she would not be returning to the show before going on leave.
“I’m sorry for being a little MIA; I had a bit of a hard time with high blood pressure on Wednesday afternoon and have been in and out of the hospital ever since,” she wrote.
“Luckily, I am in the safe hands of amazing healthcare professionals who are taking incredibly good care of my baby and me.”
“They told me to rest while they watched me though! Which means I won’t be coming back (to the Today show) to say goodbye to you wonderful people before I suddenly go on maternity leave.”
Sports presenter Danika Mason, who announced her pregnancy two weeks ago, was one of the first to comment on Abo’s post, writing, “Rest up, we can’t wait to meet the little guy.”
Reporter Mia Glover also wrote, “We already love you and that little bubba!! Keep resting, we’ll miss you!” He shared his good wishes with his message.
Former Today co-host Deborah Knight urged Abo to “take care of yourself and your bubba”.
Abo revealed in an emotional broadcast episode in March that she desperately wanted the pregnancy and talked about the “bumpy journey” involved in in vitro fertilization.
“It hasn’t been the easiest journey to get here, which a lot of people I know have been through and will go through,” Abo said.
“I know many of our viewers will be going through this as well, and it’s not as easy as a lot of people think. It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride, but here we are… We’re almost halfway there and things are going well, well.”
She also revealed that she had two miscarriages while trying to get pregnant with her husband of 13 years, Cyrus Moran.
“Obviously I’m so excited to share this with all of you, but I’m still scared,” an emotional Abo said.
“I still have a hard time believing it’s going to happen and I’m going to enjoy it, but a lot of people understand what it’s like to have that cautious optimism.”
Abo’s sudden exit comes shortly after Stevanovic’s controversial departure from the Nine Network following a podcast episode with British far-right extremist Tommy Robinson.
When Abo announced late last month that Stefanovic would be leaving the show “immediately”, she choked back tears and called her longtime co-host “a friend.”
“I wish it hadn’t ended this way and we could have said goodbye to you, our friend Karl, in a different way.”
More to come
