Backlash over Today Show hosts' 'out of touch' trip to Dubai and stay at $1500-a-night hotel during the deadly NSW floods - as Karl Stefanovic's wife Jasmine tags along and shows off their luxury digs
Today show viewers have slammed Channel Nine for sending the show's hosts to broadcast live from Dubai amid the record-breaking NSW floods.
The breakfast program's hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo are currently staying at the Atlantis The Royal hotel in The Palm Jumeirah.
The five-star accommodation starts from $1,400 for a weeknight and $1,600 for a weekend night.
However, many have criticised Nine for making the decision to broadcast the show in the luxurious city while deadly floods continue to lash parts of NSW, resulting in five deaths and damaging up to 10,000 properties.
'Just want relay my disappointment how can the Today show promote a $20k suite in Dubai, when we have a cost of living crisis in Australia and over 30,000 people cut off in NSW from the floods? Seriously?' one person wrote on social media.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
'And which viewer at home can afford $1000 a night to stay there. They are so out of touch,' another said.
'There's a disconnect between the show going and the viewers caring at home. It might get some tourist interest/return for Dubai as a result but it's not a viewer first initiative,' a third commented.
'[Not] a good idea when you have a flooding disaster in Australia, but the hosts are reporting from overseas on a luxury trip,' another wrote.
Karl, Sarah and other presenters on the Today Show including Richard Wilkins jetted to the United Arab Emirates on Friday.
Karl is also joined by his wife Jasmine and their five-year-old daughter Harper who have been enjoying the holiday.
Jasmine has been showing off their luxurious hotel on Instagram by regularly posting photos with her followers.
It comes as more than 32,000 people remain isolated by floodwaters and about 400 properties have been deemed inhabitable or destroyed, according to the NSW State Emergency Service.
More rain and strong winds are expected to impact recovery efforts with a risk of landslides and toppling trees in coming days.
Jonathan How from the Bureau of Meteorology said strong winds coming through on Monday and Tuesday could hamper recovery efforts.
'We're talking about winds of 60-80km/h, which could cause a lot of damage for a lot of trees coming down,' he said.
Premier Chris Minns visited Taree and said the state government wants to help the community get back on its feet as soon as possible.
Hardship and disaster grants are planned to become available in the coming days and efforts to improve flood resilience in Taree and other communities will follow.
But previous attempts, while well intentioned, had not always delivered in areas hit by flooding.
'We're determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, given we're having more and more of these natural disasters,' Minns said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Married At First Sight star Domenica Calarco makes bombshell claims her ex-best friend Ella Ding 'stole' from her - after slamming her sponsored pregnancy post
Domenica Calarco has taken another savage swipe at her ex-best friend Ella Ding, accusing the Married At First Sight star of stealing from her. The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star, 32, also slammed her former podcast co-host, 31, last week for making a sponsored pregnancy announcement. But now it seems their online feud has gone to another level as Domenica alleged Ella and her brother 'stole' something from the former reality TV star. Domenica made the serious accusation—which is unproven—in the comments section of an article about Ella defending herself against recent backlash. The podcaster wrote: 'Nah just pissed cos she needs MORE money after her and her brother stole from me. It's okay, the story is coming.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ella and Domenica for further comment on the matter. It comes after Domenica called out her former best friend Ella for announcing her pregnancy with a sponsored post. Ella took to Instagram last Tuesday morning to announce the exciting news alongside a series of photos including a positive Clearblue pregnancy test. 'Somewhere between healing and hustling, the next chapter quietly chose us,' she captioned her post. 'Baby Palermo you've already made our story sweeter & given us the best news of 2025 yet #ad #ClearblueConfirmed.' The announcement was reposted by the @ Instagram page. Domenica took to the comments section to slam Ella for 'monetising her pregnancy'. 'Even has to monetise her pregnancy announcement. Some people will never change. Wow,' she wrote. Ella's pregnancy was announced two months after Domenica revealed she was expecting her first child. In March, Domenica posted a series of clips showing her positive pregnancy test, her ultrasound and telling her friends and family. She captioned the sweet post: 'Been a little MIA working on my greatest project yet... Baby.' She added: 'Due September 2025 #pregnancyannouncement #pregnancy #pregnant.' Days after her announcement, Domenica exclusively confirmed to Daily Mail Australia she will be raising her child as a single mum, as she addressed the breakup rumours with Bondi skater Jarod Bogunovich. Domenica and Ella pulled the plug on their podcast Sit With Us in August 2024, and rumours have swirled it was due to an interpersonal conflict. On a recent episode of Domenica's new podcast Mad Woman, she explained where the rift with Ella really began. 'The breakdown of our friendship really started when the backlash from Sit With Us happened,' she began, referring to the controversial conversation the podcasters had with MAFS 2024 'villain' Jack Dunkley. The controversy erupted after Domenica and Ella faced criticism for their interview with Jack, who previously sparked outrage by telling co-star Jonathan McCullough to 'muzzle' his wife Lauren Dunn during a dinner party. The interview prompted a heated response from fellow media personality Abbie Chatfield, further intensifying the scrutiny on the podcast hosts at the time. Domenica said she and Ella 'had very differing opinions and views on the way to handle the situation. For me, I wanted to face it head on, I didn't want to bury my head in the sand.' At the time, Domenica's social media posts were inundated with comments from fans asking her to address the podcast controversy. While Domenica chose not to provide a statement during this period, she did assure several fans she and Ella would be responding to the backlash 'very soon'. Domenica and Ella have since unfollowed each other on Instagram, marking the end of their nearly four-year friendship.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Aussies are issued a one-word travel warning that should terrify anyone heading to the US
Aussie tourists have been warned the decision to deport them from the US is now 'subjective' as Donald Trump takes a hardline stance on immigration. Californian immigration lawyer Andrea Szew issued the warning on Wednesday following a spate of Aussie complaining they had been randomly sent back. Last week, former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, told Daily Mail Australia she was detained, stripped, and held overnight in Hawaii for 'having too much luggage'. Ms Szew said tourists will continue to be subjected to heightened security at US borders. She said border agents can choose who they will detain based on their 'subjective' suspicions. 'Sounds terrible that someone's subjective opinion can be that powerful to send me back on a flight all the way back to Australia, but unfortunately it is a subjective decision,' she told Nine News. She said travellers could be strip searched and did not have a right to privacy on their devices like laptops and phones including social media accounts. 'They can look at whose post you liked, they can look at the friends posts you've been tagged in, they can look at everything,' she said. She said some border officials have been boldened by the President's hardline nationalist stance on immigration. Australians can minimise their chances of a negative experience at the border by never booking a one way ticket, have your travel itinerary printed and on your person and take extra care filling out the visa application. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading have updated their travel advice regarding the US, saying entry requirements are 'strict'. Former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, was detained by US border officials upon entering the country via Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday. The 25-year-old thought it would be a routine visit to see her husband who has been stationed as a US Army lieutenant on the Pacific island and US state since August, 2023. At no point was she given a reason for her detention, beyond the fact that border officials did not believe her story that she was visiting her husband after claiming she had packed more clothing than was necessary for a three-week stay. 'We went through customs and border security, as per usual, and we got stopped to check our passports,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I'm an ex-police officer and he was taking a little bit, checking stuff on the computer. My mum started asking, like, ''Oh, is there a problem?'' and asked if he needed any more information. 'He went from being super calm, very nice, even giving my mum a compliment, to just instantly turning.' The officials attitude change was just the beginning of a two-day long episode during which she was cuffed, frog-marched through the airport, cavity searched and locked-up overnight. 'I was in a foreign country. I had no idea what my rights were. I was terrified,' she said. 'I thought I was never going to get out of that facility.' 'Because of all the horror stories I've heard from other travelers traveling through the United States, I kept asking the officers if I was safe in that facility, because I felt like they put my life at risk because I was being housed with criminals.' DFAT adjusted its travel advice three times in just one month in April in response to reports of increasingly harsh border controls. The USA's overall travel rating remains 'green – exercise normal safety precautions', however, the department ramped up border warnings. 'Entry requirements are strict. US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law,' DFAT's website read. 'Check US entry, registration, transit and exit requirements. Whether you're travelling on a visa or under the Visa Waiver Program, ensure you understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States. 'Expect enhanced screening procedures, including for domestic flights within the United States ... US authorities actively pursue, detain and deport people who are in the country illegally. Be prepared to show documents proving your legal presence.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Martha Stewart's VERY interesting take on the RecipeTin Eats scandal after founder Nagi Maehashi accused baker Brooke Bellamy of plagiarism
Martha Stewart has weighed in on the RecipeTin Eats plagiarism scandal after Brooke Bellamy was accused of copying the recipes of fellow Australian cook Nagi Maehashi. The celebrity chef, 83, said during her live event at Sydney 's ICC on Wednesday night that it is hard to prove a recipe is copied. 'I have so many recipes and it's hard to develop a recipe without having a repertoire behind it,' she told the audience. 'I don't think too many recipes are owned by anybody, they are handed down, used and changed.' However, Martha claimed that it can be considered plagiarism if a recipe is 'copied word for word'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'If you print somebody else's recipe word for word in your own cookbook then it might be plagiarism but I think it's very hard to prove who actually came up with that recipe,' she continued. 'So unless they are word for word, you can't say they're yours.' It comes after a second author accused social media cooking sensation Brooke of stealing recipes for her bestselling cookbook Bake With Brooki. Hours after RecipeTin Eats' Nagi raised allegations of copyright infringement last month, Sally McKenney, the US author and blogger behind Sally's Baking Addiction, also levelled claims. Bellamy, who owns the popular Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane, denied the accusations, saying she had been making and selling her recipes well before Maehashi's were published. The allegations relate to Maehashi's caramel slice and baklava recipe, along with McKenney's Best Vanilla Cake recipe. McKenney posted on social media, saying she was first alerted to the similarity months ago. She said her recipe was first published in 2019. 'One of my recipes was also plagiarised in this book and also appears on the author's YouTube channel,' she said. 'Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit - especially in a best selling cookbook.' Bake With Brooki is a bestselling cookbook published by Penguin in October last year and retails for $49.99. Bellamy quickly became a global sensation after sharing videos on TikTok, which receive millions of views each day. She is best known for her cookies and has opened pop-up stores in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Both Penguin and Bellamy deny the allegations. 'I did not plagiarise any recipes in my book which consists of 100 recipes I have created over many years,' she said. 'In 2016, I opened my first bakery. I have been creating my recipes and selling them commercially since October 2016.' Bellamy posted an image showing her caramel slice, which dated back to December, 2016. 'On March 2020, RecipeTin Eats published a recipe for caramel slice. It uses the same ingredients as my recipe, which I have been making and selling since four years prior,' she said. While the Brisbane baker insisted she did not copy the recipes, she 'immediately offered' to remove both from future reprints to prevent further aggravation'. In Maehashi's Instagram post, she described Bellamy of 'profiting' from the alleged plagiarised recipes. Maehashi claims she first raised concerns with Penguin in December. 'I put a huge amount of effort into my recipes. And I share them on my website for anyone to use for free,' she said. 'To see them plagiarised (in my view) and used in a book for profit, without credit, doesn't just feel unfair. It feels like a blatant exploitation of my work.' Maehashi is the founder of popular website, RecipeTin Eats, which has 1.5 million followers on Instagram. She is also the author of award-winning cookbooks Dinner and Tonight.
