TV and media colleagues rushed on Thursday to pay tribute to axed Today show star Karl Stefanovic – but there has been nothing but silence from one of his closest colleagues.

Co-host Georgie Gardner, who has admitted to “friction” with Stefanovic, has had no tribute of her own to add – with only dead air on social media.

On Thursday morning, she left the on-air tributes to Today entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins.

“It is true, the headlines in today’s paper aren’t wrong … Karl and the management team here at Nine have agreed that it is time for him to step down,” Wilkins said in an emotional farewell to his friend.

Nine and Stefanovic announced his shock departure from the show he has co-hosted for 14 years in a joint statement on Wednesday afternoon.

Stefanovic, 44, has already been absent from Nine’s flagship morning show for several weeks. He married shoe designer Jasmine Yarborough, 34, in a lavish Mexican wedding less than a fortnight ago, and the couple are believed to still be on their honeymoon.

After 14 years with the show, it's time to say goodbye to Karl. Thank you for waking up with TODAY, we'll miss you! ❤️ #9Today pic.twitter.com/BusjFC4mwi

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) December 19, 2018

Apart from the wedding joy, it has been a tough week for the Stefanovics. Karl’s brother Peter, a veteran of 60 Minutes and Weekend Today, was also sacked by Nine, after 15 years with the network.

“Peter has decided to explore new opportunities and is looking forward to spending weekends with his wife,” a Nine spokesperson said.

Peter’s wife, Sylvia Jeffreys is Today‘s newsreader. There has been recent speculation about her future but the network has declared her “a huge part of its plans for 2019 and beyond”.

“She is contracted with Nine until the end of 2020. Any reports or speculation that she is leaving Nine are incorrect,” Nine’s director of news and current affairs, Darren Wick, said.

Among the tributes for Stefanovic was one from former co-host Lisa Wilkinson – who declared on Instagram that “when it was good, it was great”. She and Stefanovic co-hosted Today for a decade until Wilkinson quit in 2017 following a pay dispute with Nine.

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A post shared by Lisa Wilkinson (@lisa_wilkinson)

Gardner took over from Wilkinson in late 2017. By March 2018, she was the subject of the infamous “Ubergate” recording, in which the Stefanovic brothers discussed her in a phone conversation.

According to the Uber driver who sold his story of the conversation to a women’s magazine, Karl declared Gardner needed to “step up”.

On Thursday, Wilkins described Stefanovic as “an intoxicating mix of world’s best broadcaster and naughty school boy”.

“I can tell you from the heart that there’s nobody who has worked harder for this show than Karl,” he said.

He went on to describe Stefanovic as “a fantastic, intuitive and intelligent journalist”.

“He always strived to deliver the best program he possibly could. Karl says this is the best show on television, and I couldn’t agree more,” he said.

Wilkins finished by thanking the viewers on behalf of Stefanovic.

“Karl has asked us to pass on his thanks to you, the viewer, for tuning in,” he said.

“Karl, on behalf of all your friends and colleagues here at Nine and your millions of fans around the country, we wish you all the best.”