After more than four decades at Channel Nine, Tracy Grimshaw has finally landed her first assignment for 60 Minutes.
But while the respected journalist, 64, was met with a slew of congratulatory messages after sharing the news on social media, two of 60 Minutes’ long-term presenters, Liz Hayes and Tara Brown, were conspicuously absent from the comments section.
“Handing a role on 60 Minutes to a skilled interviewer like Tracy has undoubtedly ruffled feathers,” a TV insider tells New Idea.
However, Tracy’s secondment onto the program, to interview Elle Macpherson following the release of her new memoir, is reportedly part of a wider strategy at Nine.
It’s no secret the network has faced financial struggles and many staff have been lost to redundancies. As a result, the biggest names on Nine’s books are being expected to work harder for their money, in order to justify their salaries.
“Tracy is being put to work,” our insider adds. After taking a sabbatical at the end of 2022 when she left A Current Affair after 17 years, Tracy returned to screens earlier this year to co-host Do You Want to Live Forever?. But her 60 Minutes assignment still came as a surprise.
“Gone are the days where Nine could just afford to have a talent of Tracy’s calibre sitting at home and drawing a big pay cheque, just to avoid her being poached by another network,” our source says.
“She’s definitely going to have to sing for her supper and work in this tougher climate – but being a Nine icon, Tracy will have a say in what work she takes on.”
The fact that she was allocated a slot on 60 Minutes – and broke ranks by posting about the Elle interview ahead of schedule – suggests that Tracy’s on board with the new work landscape, but on her terms.
“Tracy’s also not ready to completely throw in the towel yet,” our source says. “So she’s not going to turn down intriguing projects or new opportunities if they come her way.”
