Michael Usher apparently had some explaining to do with his son after the young intern put his former flame Samantha Armytage on the spot about their dating history during a live broadcast.
Kyle Sandilands shared details of the veteran newsreader’s alleged reaction while appearing on Samantha’s interview program, Act Two, where the pair revisited an unexpectedly personal moment from her recent appearance on his show.
Samantha had been discussing her latest project when Michael’s son unexpectedly raised long-standing speculation about his father’s relationship with the presenter. She ultimately confirmed that the pair had gone on several dates.
According to Kyle, the question appeared to land the aspiring broadcaster in trouble with his well-known father.
‘I understand he was given a fairly serious talking-to by the gentleman in question,’ Kyle said as he recalled the exchange.
‘We saw a very different side of him.’
Michael Usher reportedly had some choice words for his son after the young intern questioned Samantha Armytage about their dating history on air
Samantha brought up the awkward encounter when she welcomed Kyle to her own program, reminding him that their previous conversation had given her plenty of reason to seek payback.
‘After our last conversation on his show, where he threw me under the bus, I told him I was going to get my revenge,’ she said.
Kyle maintained, however, that he had also been caught off guard when the unexpected question about Samantha’s love life emerged.
‘You can believe me or not, but when you came onto our show and this young man suddenly brought up something from your dating history, I had no idea it was coming,’ he said.
‘But once it was placed in front of me, it was like receiving the ball from a great footballer.’
The radio host admitted he was never going to ignore such an obvious opening.
‘You catch it and run as fast as you can. You have to take your chance, and you were a very good sport,’ he added.
Samantha appeared to take the incident in good humour, while both presenters acknowledged that the resulting publicity had also generated interest in her new venture.
Kyle Sandilands described Michael’s apparent displeasure while appearing on Samantha’s interview show, Act Two, after a personal question took their earlier conversation in an unexpected direction
Samantha nevertheless made clear that anyone entering Kyle’s studio should know exactly what to expect.
‘You walk in there knowing what you’re going to get,’ she said.
Kyle argued that his provocative interviews were designed to entertain, not to drive guests away.
‘It’s all done in good fun and with good humour,’ he said.
‘My goal is always for people to want to come back.’
The discussion followed Samantha’s unexpected revelation about Michael during her appearance on Kyle Sandilands Live.
The former Sunrise presenter was confronted by an unusually direct question from the newsreader’s son.
‘There were stories in the press about Dad and you… that you two had been involved?’ he asked.
Michael Usher’s son Matt, left, is currently working as an intern on Kyle Sandilands Live and asked the unexpected question
Samantha, 50, and Michael, 56, first prompted romance speculation in 2015 after Natalie Barr reportedly tried to bring them together
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Samantha laughed at the question before challenging the decision to turn Michael’s private life into a topic of conversation.
‘I can’t believe you’re doing this to your own father!’ she responded.
Pressed for more details, she confirmed: ‘We went out on a few dates!’
A producer then joked that Michael’s son might be looking for a ‘mother figure’, a suggestion Samantha quickly rejected.
‘He has a mother! I know her; she used to work at Channel Nine,’ she said, referring to Michael’s former wife, Annalie.
Kyle reacted with surprise, asking: ‘So, does everyone in television sleep with everyone else? Is that how it works?’
‘Probably! There’s a reason I married a farmer, put it that way,’ Samantha joked.
Speculation about Samantha and Michael first emerged in 2015, when Natalie Barr reportedly attempted to play matchmaker. The rumours resurfaced two years later.
Samantha later criticised the intense focus on her personal life, saying that, as one of Australia’s most senior female journalists, she deserved to be asked ‘intelligent questions’.
She married equestrian businessman Richard Lavender in 2020, but the couple separated in 2024.
Although Samantha was in control of the interview this time, she still found herself defending her romantic history.
When Kyle tried to steer their Act Two conversation back towards her dating life, she stopped him.
‘You don’t need to ask me about the people I’ve dated,’ she said.
‘Sorry, I’m used to being the one asking the questions,’ Kyle replied.
