Michael Usher ‘blasted’ his son for grilling former flame Samantha Armytage about their romance live on air

Michael Usher apparently had a few choice words for his son after the young intern quizzed his former flame Samantha Armytage about their dating history live on air.

Kyle Sandilands revealed the veteran newsreader’s apparent displeasure during an appearance on Samantha’s interview series, Act Two, after her recent visit to his show took an unexpectedly personal turn.

Samantha had been promoting her new project when Michael’s son put her on the spot about their long-rumoured romance, prompting her to finally confirm they had been on several dates.

Now Kyle has revealed the awkward exchange seemingly earned the budding broadcaster a dressing-down from his famous father.

‘I believe he got blasted by the said gentleman,’ Kyle said while revisiting the incident.

‘We heard a different side to him.’

The revelation came as Samantha welcomed Kyle onto her own show with a pointed reminder of what happened the last time they shared a microphone.

‘After our recent chat on his turf, where he threw me under the bus, I promised him I’d get my revenge,’ she said.

But Kyle insisted the surprise question about her love life had caught him off guard too.

‘Well, you can believe this or not, but when you came in and we had a young gentleman on our show and unbeknownst to me, he brought up something to do with your dating past,’ he said.

‘Now I had, I was completely unaware of that, but when it was dropped in my lap, it was like an amazing footballer.’

Naturally, the broadcaster was not about to let the opportunity slip away.

‘You catch that ball, you run like the wind, like you just have to run with it and you were a good sport,’ he added.

Samantha appeared happy to laugh about the encounter, with the pair acknowledging the resulting headlines had also helped draw attention to her new venture.

But she made it clear that stepping into Kyle’s studio came with certain expectations.

‘You go in there knowing what you’re going to get,’ she said.

Kyle, meanwhile, insisted his interviews were intended to be entertaining rather than leave guests unwilling to return.

‘It’s always done in good fun and good humour,’ he said.

‘Because my aim is for the guests to want to come back.’

The exchange follows Samantha’s surprise admission about Michael during her appearance on Kyle Sandilands Live.

The former Sunrise host was confronted with a particularly uncomfortable question from the newsreader’s son.

‘There used to be some stuff in the press about Dad and you… that you and him had relations?’ he asked.

Samantha laughed before questioning his decision to make his own father’s private life a talking point.

‘I can’t believe you are doing this to your own father!’ she replied.

After further questioning, she confirmed: ‘We went out on a few dates!’

A producer then joked that Michael’s son was searching for a ‘mother figure’, prompting Samantha to swiftly shut down the suggestion.

‘He’s got a mother! I know her, she used to work at Channel Nine,’ she said, referring to Michael’s ex-wife Annalie.

Kyle was taken aback by the revelation, asking: ‘So, hang on! Everyone on TV has sex with each other, is that what happens?’

‘Probably! There is a reason why I went and married a farmer, put it that way,’ Samantha joked.

Romance rumours surrounding Samantha and Michael first surfaced in 2015, when Natalie Barr reportedly played matchmaker, before emerging again in 2017.

Samantha later pushed back against the scrutiny of her personal life, arguing that she should be asked ‘intelligent questions’ as one of Australia’s most senior female journalists.

She went on to marry equestrian businessman Richard Lavender in 2020, before the couple separated in 2024.

Despite having the interviewer’s chair this time around, Samantha still found herself batting away questions about her romantic past.

When Kyle attempted another dating-related detour during their Act Two conversation, she promptly pulled him up.

‘You don’t need to ask questions about who I’ve dated,’ she said.

‘Sorry. I’m used to the other way around,’ Kyle replied.