Sam Armytage and Michael Willesee Jr. fail to make a crude joke land in another awkward gaffe as viewers complain again they are 'drab and boring' amid Today ratings slump

Samantha Armytage and Michael Willesee Jr. suffered a cringe-worthy gaffe on Thursday morning as they failed to make a crude joke land.

The fill-in hosts have been the subject of brutal criticism by viewers this week as the Today show struggles to pick up in the ratings following the departure of Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo. 

Sam, 49, struggled to entice her co-star Michael, 56, into some light-hearted banter as she made a lewd joke about beavers that went right over his head.

The awkward moment occurred during a segment covering the unusual way researchers are raising funds for a study on marmots, large ground squirrels.

'They are now showing off the marmots on OnlyFans after losing out on key government grants,' said newsreader Jayne Azzopardi.

'The page is called OnlyMarms and it gives subscribers photos and video access to marmots in the wild, with new content released every day.'

'Look, there is a joke there about beavers, but I'm not going to make it, okay?' Sam said, referencing a lewd term for female genitals. 

She then turned to Michael and pointed at him as she said: 'You were thinking it! You were thinking it!'

However, the joke appeared to go over her co-host's head as he replied: 'Maybe now is the time, you know? Early in the day, if you're a researcher, you got to do whatever it takes, right?'

'But on OnlyFans? I mean, come on,' Sam said, still trying to make the joke land before swiftly moving on to sports news for the morning. 

It comes as Sam and Michael were yet again the target of online critics who slammed the fill-in anchors for being 'drab and boring'.     

'Really turned me off my breakfast seeing Sam on Today,' one person wrote.

'I turned back to TODAY but no, new hosts [are] shockers. Love Jayne and Danika [Mason], Tim [Davies], and Dickie [Richard Wilkins]. Back to ABC,' said another.

'I flicked back to Nine this morning after weeks of watching Sunrise since Karl left. No joke, I lasted five secs before I turned it off. Can't stand Samantha Armytage,' a third commented.

'Can somebody pls inform me when Sam is no longer on so I can switch back,' someone else said.

'What in the world am I watching. I usually watch Sunrise, but due to the Comm Games have switched to Today. Well what a shocking breakfast program. I have never watched anything so drab and boring in my life. None of your presenters have any connection with each other, They are like a bunch of strangers sitting at a table trying to make conversation. DULL DULL DULL,' one user penned.

'Get rid of these two, they are so boring,' yet another agreed.

However, some viewers appeared to enjoy seeing Sam and Michael in the Today anchor seats.

'Great pairing. Professional presentation and credible journalists,' one said.

'Mike W great presenter and knowledgeable journalist,' another added.

'Love Sam great to see her back on TV,' a third noted.

This week, the ratings seemed to prove that Nine hasn't gained any favours by playing musical chairs with anchors as they test out which talent is suited to permanently helm the breakfast program in the coming months.

On Sam's first morning on Today on Monday, the show pulled in 707,000 viewers compared to Sunrise's 1.17 million.

On Tuesday, Today had 654,000 viewers compared to 1.125 million over on Sunrise.