Australian TV doesn’t have many dedicated talk shows, so LiSTNR and Jessica Rowe are filling the space with a new series.
The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show is promising to dig deep with famous and successful people who appear to have it all together in the spotlight but in reality, make the same mistakes as the rest of us.
The promise from the host is nothing will be off-limits, and as readers of her magazine columns knew, that was certainly the case.
Journalist, television presenter, and four-time best-selling author, Jessica Rowe, is a communicator who draws out the rare and revealing sides of some of our most captivating personalities, whilst creating a warm, engaging, and safe space for her guests to share genuine conversations.
In this unprecedented time of social isolation many are reflecting on their pasts. In the first episode of The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, Jess chats with Karl Stefanovic and the podcast acts as the catalyst for confronting and acknowledging what really happened back in 2006 when the two co-hosted the Today show. The podcast brings the pair back together after 14 years as they discuss Jess being sacked while on maternity leave, and an apologetic and emotional Stefanovic breaks down as both reflect on years of toxic, painful, and negative media coverage and the attention they received.
Jessica Rowe said: “Karl was big-hearted and willing to open up in a way I hadn’t expected. It was a hard conversation, which often are the best conversations, and it left me able to put a sparkly full stop on a dark and troubling time in my life.
“I love ‘big talk’, cutting the crap and getting to what makes our heart sing. I simply love talking and talking about what matters in our lives. In this podcast I can have those ‘deep and meaningful’ conversations that are good for my soul. I learn something new each time in these conversations and I know our listeners will too!”
Karl Stefanovic said on the podcast: “We never really got the chance to sit down and unpack and it’s always been on my mind to sit down with you and talk with you through all that… I should have been more there for you. This is part of why I am here today, and it is to apologise to you. I wish I had been a better person, a better man and a stronger man, not just for myself but for you.”
LiSTNR Original Podcast senior executive producer Nic McClure said: “Jess is really good at skipping the small talk and asking the questions we want to hear. Because she has such a kind heart and deep empathy for her guests, she can easily get straight to the sometimes uncomfortable questions and people just naturally open up to her, sharing things we haven’t heard before.”
Across the rest of the series Jessica Rowe chats with Sophie Monk, Sarah Wilson, Pauline Hanson, Osher Günsberg, Firass Dirani, Mitch Tambo, Julia Morris, Steph Rice, Candice Warner, and Curtis Stone.
The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show is produced by LiSTNR’s Nic McClure and is available now on the LiSTNR app.
See also: Podcast Week: Grant Blackley on LiSTNR