After nearly a decade at the helm, longtime Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia has been axed from the show ahead of its 2026 season.

LaPaglia, 55, who has hosted the Channel 10 reality series since its 2016 revival, confirmed in an emotional Instagram post that he had been “blindsided” by the decision, delivered via a phone call from the network.

“Australian Survivor has seen some of the most epic blindsides over the last 10 years, but this one might just be the craziest of them all… because it happened to me,” LaPaglia wrote.

He explained that Channel 10 thanked him for his contribution but said they were “going in a different direction” after recent ratings dips, prompting what he described as not a tribe swap, but a “HOST SWAP®.”

LaPaglia, who has already filmed the upcoming 13th season titled Australia v The World, described the decision as painful.

“I wish I could say, ‘Before we go to vote, tonight is a little different….no one’s going home.’ But I can’t. None of that non-elim bulls**t tonight! Someone IS going home. And with no idol in my back pocket, that someone is me,” he said.

He also paid tribute to the show’s crew, contestants and loyal fans, calling it “one of the greatest adventures” of his career. “It is without a doubt the hardest challenge of all to snuff my own torch,” he added. “But here goes; ‘JLP… the tribe has spoken.’”

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by @jonathanlapaglia

While no official replacement has been named, it’s widely rumoured that Survivor alum and Deal or No Deal Island winner David Genat, 45, will step into the role. Genat, who won Australian Survivor: All Stars in 2020, recently made global headlines after winning a staggering $US5.8 million ($A9.2 million) on the US game show.

LaPaglia will return for one final season when Australia v The World airs later this year – an instalment he has called “probably our best season EVER” – then ended it all with one last thought on being let go from the network this way:

“Whoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot. It hurts like a b***h!”

Images: Instagram