It takes a very unique type of individual to turn Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s live performance into a pure exhibition of exultation and adulation. Tony Armstrong, who is personable, diligent, and immensely popular, is just this type of individual.
The Meteoric Ascension of Tony Armstrong, Television’s Hottest New Star
From jubilant celebrations with sports fans on live television to delivering bad news with a grin and using his platform to speak out against racism, the 32-year-old has earned a reputation as a young and dynamic television personality.
Armstrong, a proud Barranbinya man, is relatively new to the field of television broadcasting. He began stepping in for Paul Kennedy as a sports presenter on ABC’s News Breakfast in early 2020 and was granted the full-time position in June of last year.
Who Is Tony Armstrong? Why He Is Rising Too Much?
On Sunday night, he was honored with the TV Week Logie Award for most popular new talent, having already presented the award for outstanding sports coverage alongside tennis player Dylan Alcott. Armstrong was the first and only host at the ceremony to express appreciation for the country.
Armstrong began his Logies acceptance speech by acknowledging his mother Margaret, who raised him in Sydney’s Fairfield and Cabramatta as a single parent. Growing older Armstrong informed radio host Zan Rowe in 2021, “Saturdays used to be the best day.”
“Every Saturday morning, I would visit the Aboriginal Dance Theatre in Redfern. Because my mother is a school teacher, she would then take me an hour and a half to study. Then we would go to the IMAX theater in Darling Harbour.”
Armstrong and his mother subsequently relocated to Brocklesby, a rural agricultural village near Albury (“a bit of a culture shock” from multicultural Sydney’s suburbs). There, he became “addicted to doing sports.”
“I am a single child. I appreciated how team sports can foster a sense of camaraderie. You join a sports team, and immediately you have 22 new buddies,” he remarked.
AFL was the sport he fell into. Armstrong boarded at Assumption College throughout his high school years, an institution renowned for producing AFL stars such as Brownlow champion Shane Crawford.
Armstrong moved from a community with no children to play with (they were out farming when he returned from school) to having buddies around the clock in boarding school.
He stated, “It was the best time of my life.” Armstrong, drafted at age 18 by the Adelaide Crows, made his AFL debut in 2010. The team stated that “consistency proved to be an issue,” and the player was traded to the Sydney Swans the following season.
Armstrong quit the sport at age 25 after being sent to Collingwood a second time and realizing he was “not really performing well.”
“I was requested to make some special remarks for the National Indigenous Radio Service [NIRS] one day,” he explained. The NIRS is a government-funded satellite program that is distributed to radio stations around the country, primarily those serving Indigenous communities. “And I appeared to have some aptitude for it,” he continued.
In 2019, he became the first Native American to broadcast an AFL game on commercial radio. “If I hadn’t started calling AFL footy, I wouldn’t be here at the ABC,” he remarked during his victory speech on Sunday night.
And it is at the ABC that Armstrong has become a household name. From delivering Tony’s Terrible News on The Weekly and presenting his own show, A Dog’s World, to speaking out against Indigenous incarceration and making jokes about unfortunate tongue-twisters, nothing seems to be off bounds for the man who admits to having a “bit of a strange personality.”
After his colleague’s victory, News Breakfast co-host Michael Rowland said, “I absolutely adore sharing the desk with you.” “You have contributed so much to our show, to the ABC, and, honestly, to Australian television in general.”
It is not difficult to understand why he is beloved and why he was the clear and deserving favorite for the award for the most popular new talent this year.