Samantha Armytage finally addresses rumours of feud with Sunrise rival Natalie Barr as pair come face-to-face at the Logie Awards

Samantha Armytage has firmly denied long-running speculation of a rift with former Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail on the red carpet at the 2026 TV Week Logie Awards, the veteran television presenter, 49, appeared baffled by reports suggesting there was bad blood between the pair. 

When asked about rumours of a feud with Nat, 58, Sam was quick to dismiss the claims while also taking aim at the way female television personalities are often portrayed in the media.

'They always say [there's a feud]... what is this thing?' she said.

The former breakfast TV star, who recently filled in on the Today show desk, wondered aloud why people seem so fascinated by supposed rivalries between women, while disagreements between men go largely unnoticed.

'Why are women always "feuding"? Why's it not men ever feuding?' Sam said.

'Let me tell you, there's lots of men feuding in television, but it only seems to be women [reported on].'

Sam was emphatic when shutting down suggestions that she and Nat are at odds.

'There's no feud. There's no feud,' she said.

The comments come after years of speculation about the relationship between the former Sunrise stars following Sam's shock departure from the long-running breakfast program in 2021.

Nat, who stepped into the lead hosting role after Sam's exit, has also previously dismissed suggestions of tension between the pair.

Rumours of a feud between the pair first escalated in March 2021, after it was revealed that Nat hadn't been told about Sam's star-studded farewell lunch at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney's Rose Bay.

Appearing on the Kyle & Jackie O show at the time, fellow ex-Sunrise host David Koch admitted he and Nat were not invited to the fancy event.

'We didn't know about it,' he said, noting that the Sunrise team is strict about events because of their early start.

Added Nat: 'And we had been having Champagne in the office for a while.' 

Earlier that month, before Sam sensationally quit Sunrise, Nat didn't take too kindly to controversial claims Sam made that married women with children aren't expected to work as hard in their careers.

Sam sensationally wrote in her column for Stellar magazine that 'bosses don't ask as much of you if you're a wife or mother'.

'I've never shied away from hard work, but there was an expectation that Sam would do it because she's got nothing else going on,' she wrote.

'[Sometimes I'd think], "Well, actually, I'd get something else going on if you didn't make me do this".'

Nat later clapped back saying that while 'everyone is entitled to their opinion', she's always worked just as hard as her unmarried and/or childless female colleagues.

'I don't feel like I've worked less being a wife and mum. I don't feel like I've had to prove anything either, that's how it's always worked for me,' the mum of two teenage sons with husband Andrew Thompson told The Courier Mail.

'I feel like I've worked really hard and I've put my hand up for every job, every news story that involved going away,' she added.

'I've been to floods and fires and terror attacks and US elections and I love taking on all that extra load, it's why I became a journalist. I put my hand up as high as I can to get to those jobs and do the extra stuff.'

Nat insisted that her workload would be the same, even if she was unmarried or without children. 

In April, Sam revealed she hadn't spoken to any of her former colleagues since leaving Sunrise a month earlier.

'It's only been a few weeks so I've had a quiet time and haven't spoken to anyone,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

Eyebrows were raised yet again in May when it emerged Sam didn't follow Nat or Kochie on Instagram, despite following many other Seven colleagues.

Sam downplayed the snub on her News Corp podcast earlier this month, saying: 'I don't think I unfo... I don't think anyone's following anyone in there.'

Nat finally confirmed last week that she didn't have a close relationship with Sam, who she replaced as Sunrise anchor on March 15.

When asked about rumours the two women did not get along, Nat told The Australian Women's Weekly they weren't friends outside of the workplace.

She said that while the pair 'got along well in the office', they rarely spoke after the cameras stopped rolling because they didn't have much in common.

'The truth is we didn't really see each other outside the office. We had vastly different lives, I guess,' Natalie said.

'We were in different places. She was hanging with her friends and I was spending time with my family. So, yes, we were in different places.'

Hints of a feud between the two women could even be traced back to July 2019, when Nat jokingly called Sam 'a b***h-faced moll'.

Sam and Nat were answering fans' questions during a segment on Sunrise when one viewer asked: 'Are you all really as nice as you appear to be on Sunrise?'

'Nah, she's a b***h-faced moll,' Nat responded facetiously, before she and Sam both burst out laughing.

She added: 'No, she's not, I just love that term.'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, TV Blackbox's Rob McKnight admitted 'there is fascination about what went on behind the scenes of Sunrise'.

'Nat is a straight shooter and tells it like it is. She was asked about her friendship with Sam and she told the truth,' said the former TV producer.

'Is anyone actually surprised the two didn't mingle outside of work? No, of course not - they are different people with different lives.

'Sam is probably right that Nat has always had her eye on the job but that doesn't mean she was actively chasing it.

'In the media everyone wants the biggest job and the highest profile. If you don't have an ego and ambition you just won't make it in this industry.'

Despite persistent rumours, Sam's latest comments suggest there is little truth to claims of behind-the-scenes animosity, with the television favourite making it clear she is growing tired of the narrative.

Sam was among a host of Australian television stars attending the glittering awards ceremony, where the industry's biggest names gathered to celebrate the year's standout programs and personalities.

The blonde presenter made jaws drop as she strutted onto the red carpet in a very revealing disco-inspired jumpsuit by Carla Zampatti.

The one-piece showed off plenty of cleavage thanks to a neckline which was slashed down to just above her navel.

The outfit also flaunted her toned arms and slender waist.

Samantha kept the Seventies theme going with a Scanlan Theodore fluffy bag and a chunky gold cuff.

Samantha also went for a sultry look for her hair and make-up, giving her blonde locks some volume by adding extensions.