Did this host abruptly cut off a guest for making an outrageous claim on Sunrise? Find out why!
By
Seia Ibanez
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Unexpected statements from guests can sometimes lead to changes on live television, and that's exactly what happened to Nat Barr on the weekday morning program Sunrise.
The host jokingly cut an interview with a distinguished guest due to his continued contentious assertions.
The guest was Peter V'landys, the Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission. He was in Washington as United States President Joe Biden invited him to the White House state dinner. He also planned to kick off the 2024 NRL season with matches in Las Vegas.
While in Washington as a guest of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, V'landys tried to convince US President Biden to attend the Las Vegas rugby league games.
'I tried to talk him into coming to Vegas in March to see the greatest game of all,' V'landys joked.
'He showed a bit of interest, so hopefully he may be our very special guest at the double-header!'

V'landys was on Sunrise to discuss an attention-grabbing NRL advertisement unveiled in Las Vegas proclaiming 'Australia's biggest sport' would soon arrive in Sin City.
This bold claim sparked a debate among AFL fans, who argued the honour rightly belongs to the AFL.
V'landys defended the ad's accuracy by pointing to rugby league's TV ratings. 'It's very easy. The most watched sport in Australia is rugby league—in a season—by a country mile,' he declared.
'My friends down south (in Victoria) should put the toys back in the cot, especially Jeff Kennett. I don’t think he’s got many toys left, he’s thrown so many out.’
V’landys also said, 'We are the most viewed sport in Australia, the sign is correct, and they should pick their game up.'
But Nat Barr wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. With a laugh, she told V'landys that her 'Channel 7 bosses' were yelling in her ear about the actual TV ratings.
‘Ok, because I can just hear my Channel 7 bosses in my ear, they’re kind of yelling at the moment, they’re yelling at me something about TV ratings,’ she laughed.
'They're saying something like 3.5 million for NRL, 3.8 million for AFL, and then they're yelling really loudly that the Matildas got 7.1 million,' Barr explained.
'So where are your figures coming from, Pete?'
V'landys pointed out he was referring to average ratings in a season.
‘That’s the whole year, not just a few games like the Matildas. It’s a complete season,’ he said.
'Tell your bosses that there's more stations than just Channel 7, and they should come and bid for rugby league, they should get the State of Origin,' he added.
'Then they will have the biggest sport in Australia rather than that, what do they call it, FLA? AFL? Or whatever it's called, I've forgotten its name.'
At this point, Nat Barr joked she had no choice but to abruptly end the feisty exchange. 'I think we better go to a commercial break,' she quipped before congratulating her guest on attending the prestigious White House dinner.
V’landys said, ‘Well, say hi to Mr Warburton for me, he’s a very good CEO—but come and bid for the NRL! We’re ready whenever he is.’
In case you have missed it, rugby legend Wally ‘King’ Lewis also opened up about his ‘toughest battle yet’ that caught the public’s attention. Read more about his story here.
What do you think about this interview? Let us know in the comments below!
The host jokingly cut an interview with a distinguished guest due to his continued contentious assertions.
The guest was Peter V'landys, the Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission. He was in Washington as United States President Joe Biden invited him to the White House state dinner. He also planned to kick off the 2024 NRL season with matches in Las Vegas.
While in Washington as a guest of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, V'landys tried to convince US President Biden to attend the Las Vegas rugby league games.
'I tried to talk him into coming to Vegas in March to see the greatest game of all,' V'landys joked.
'He showed a bit of interest, so hopefully he may be our very special guest at the double-header!'

Nat Barr interviewed Peter V’landys on Sunrise in plans to kick off the 2024 NRL Season in Las Vegas. Credit: sunrise.com.au
V'landys was on Sunrise to discuss an attention-grabbing NRL advertisement unveiled in Las Vegas proclaiming 'Australia's biggest sport' would soon arrive in Sin City.
This bold claim sparked a debate among AFL fans, who argued the honour rightly belongs to the AFL.
V'landys defended the ad's accuracy by pointing to rugby league's TV ratings. 'It's very easy. The most watched sport in Australia is rugby league—in a season—by a country mile,' he declared.
'My friends down south (in Victoria) should put the toys back in the cot, especially Jeff Kennett. I don’t think he’s got many toys left, he’s thrown so many out.’
V’landys also said, 'We are the most viewed sport in Australia, the sign is correct, and they should pick their game up.'
But Nat Barr wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. With a laugh, she told V'landys that her 'Channel 7 bosses' were yelling in her ear about the actual TV ratings.
‘Ok, because I can just hear my Channel 7 bosses in my ear, they’re kind of yelling at the moment, they’re yelling at me something about TV ratings,’ she laughed.
'They're saying something like 3.5 million for NRL, 3.8 million for AFL, and then they're yelling really loudly that the Matildas got 7.1 million,' Barr explained.
'So where are your figures coming from, Pete?'
V'landys pointed out he was referring to average ratings in a season.
‘That’s the whole year, not just a few games like the Matildas. It’s a complete season,’ he said.
'Tell your bosses that there's more stations than just Channel 7, and they should come and bid for rugby league, they should get the State of Origin,' he added.
'Then they will have the biggest sport in Australia rather than that, what do they call it, FLA? AFL? Or whatever it's called, I've forgotten its name.'
At this point, Nat Barr joked she had no choice but to abruptly end the feisty exchange. 'I think we better go to a commercial break,' she quipped before congratulating her guest on attending the prestigious White House dinner.
V’landys said, ‘Well, say hi to Mr Warburton for me, he’s a very good CEO—but come and bid for the NRL! We’re ready whenever he is.’
Key Takeaways
- Sunrise host Nat Barr playfully cut short her interview with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys over his claims about Rugby League's popularity in Australia.
- V'landys was in Washington to promote the NRL’s Las Vegas experiment, scheduled to begin in the 2024 season, and shared metrics claiming Rugby League is the most watched sport in Australia.
- The claim embroiled AFL fans in debate. Despite TV ratings indicating higher viewership for AFL and the Matildas women's soccer team, V'landys argued that Rugby League leads in viewership throughout the season.
In case you have missed it, rugby legend Wally ‘King’ Lewis also opened up about his ‘toughest battle yet’ that caught the public’s attention. Read more about his story here.
What do you think about this interview? Let us know in the comments below!