Sunrise patriarch David “Kochie” Koch has sat on the millennial grey breakfast news couch for one last time, and to celebrate 21 years of sucking from the Cash Cow’s teet, an absolutely massive celeb has (allegedly) written in to shower him with praise. Call me what you want, but I’m no fool, and something about this whole scene positively reeked of BS.
Before Kochie kissed the “Brekkie Central” windows goodbye for the last time, co-host Natalie Barr mysteriously handed him a giant orange letter wrapped in a red bow, asking him to read its contents aloud.
“Dear Kochie, I am thinking of you today,” the celebrity wrote in the letter.
“For 21 years you have set the bar for the most popular show in Australia.
“Your humour, enthusiasm and kindness have been ever-present and I know that everyone thanks you for being the special person that you are, as do I.”
Immediately my mind went to a list of Aussie celebs who could have written this special little letter for Kochie. Sonia Kruger maybe? Kylie Minogue of all people? Perhaps Baz Luhrmann took a break from his busy schedule to give the breakfast TV host a heap of compliments?
Nay, it was none other than Dame Julie Andrews. Yes, the queen of Genovia who has met Kochie a total of one time (in 2005) decided to pause what she was doing to tell Kochie how much she loves him.
Now, while I’m sceptical as to whether or not this letter is legit, Kochie has made it no mystery that he is a huge Julie Andrews fan. On top of this, in a 2019 interview with Sunrise‘s UK Showbiz Correspondent Steve Hargrave, Andrews took a moment to say hello to Kochie. So it’s safe to say she’s not totally unaware of who he is.
Maybe Natalie Barr convinced Dame Andrews to pick up the pen just for Kochie? Or maybe Andrews has a stellar PR team that is incredible at whipping up letters in her tone.
Either way, it was an incredibly bizarre moment to witness, mostly because of how fake it all felt. If Julie Andrews actually wrote me a letter I’d be screaming and fainting on national television.
Also, there was something so sly about Barr’s smirk after she handed Kochie the letter. Either she really knows how to capture her moments on camera or that was the face of someone pulling the most elaborate goodbye prank ever.
I’m fully invested in this Sunrise mystery. Until Julie Andrews gives a public statement saying she did in fact write that letter, I am not buying it.
