Jonathan LaPaglia, longtime host of hit reality show Survivor, has confirmed he’s been axed.
The 55-year-old took to Instagram on June 30, 2025, penning a lengthy, emotional caption that revealed Channel Ten has decided to go “in a different direction” for the 2026 season of Survivor.
“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,” Jonathan’s caption read.
“I received a call from the network thanking me for all my hard work and dedication to the show but for next season they are ‘going in a different direction’. Ratings had dipped a bit recently and they wanted to do something drastic to shake things up. So for the first time ever this is not a tribe swap, but a HOST SWAP,” it continued.
“Someone IS going home. And with no idol in my back pocket, that someone is me,” Jonathan added before thanking the crew and fans.
“It has been one of the greatest adventures of my career to helm Australian Survivor, so it is without a doubt the hardest challenge of all to snuff my own torch but here [it] goes, ‘JLP… the tribe has spoken.”
Jonathan will still host the upcoming Australia V The World season of Survivor, which is set to premiere later this year.
It’s not yet been confirmed who will replace Jonathan but it’s rumoured that David Genat – the ‘Golden God’ who placed 10th in 2019’s Champions V Contenders II, won 2020’s All Stars, and will return for the upcoming Australia V The World – is up for the job.
Our hearts go out to Jonathan, who has hosted Survivor since its revival in 2016 and concluded his Instagram caption with the heartbreaking line:
“Whoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot. It hurts like a b*tch!”
