Australia is in for a treat at Eurovision this year! Not only have we been blessed by the musical stylings of the milkshake man Go-Jo, representing the land Down Under, but now we’ve got a new dynamic duo ready to take us through every performance, every score and every explosive pyrotechnic-filled moment — Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act!
Tony and Courtney are following in the footsteps of beloved Eurovision hosts Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasy, who hosted SBS’s coverage of the event from 2017 to 2014. To continue their legacy, Tony and Courtney will be picking up the gorgeous glitter microphones, ready to dish the goss happening on the ground in Switzerland.
Truth be told, Courtney and Tony are approaching the 69th Eurovision Song Contest from slightly different perspectives.
Courtney is a Eurovision megafan who has not just lived and breathed the expressive song contest for years, but has even auditioned for Eurovision: Australia Decides in 2019.
Although she was beaten out by Kate Miller-Heidke, her involvement with the song contest didn’t stop there. In 2022, Courtney had the honour of announcing the jury’s 12-point winning country on behalf of Australia (it was Spain), and last year, she had her boots on the ground covering the events as they happened.
“By the way, giving the douze points makes you a celebrity in the country you give the points to,” Courtney quips to PEDESTRIAN.TV
“I got so many Spanish people messaging ‘when are you coming’ after that.”
Now, Courtney says she’s beyond excited to be stepping into the hosting role alongside Tony, but acknowledges her proximity to the song contest makes her feel like “a mother living vicariously through their child” after landing adjacent Eurovision roles to performing.
While Courtney is a bona fide Eurovision expert, television personality and Australia’s boyfriend Tony admits that he’s a bit new to the world’s biggest song contest but he’s ready to bask in the creativity, sequins and, of course, the pyrotechnics.
“What I’m really looking forward to is being right there at the coalface,” he says.
“The thing I really resonate with is that everyone unabashedly has a crack. In Australia, we’ve got this idea that we want everyone to be excellent, but ‘don’t you dare try’, which is, like, so confusing.
Whereas at Eurovision, it’s like, ‘I’m going all out, I’m going all out, and I’m going to try my hardest’, and it’s celebrated, and I really love that.”
After sitting down for a chat with the new hosts, I can see why they were chosen together. Courtney is a wealth of knowledge and passion for Eurovision, its performers and everything the song contest stands for. Meanwhile, Tony is coming to the 69th song contest with open, fresh eyes like many Aussie viewers tuning in at 5am from their own lounge rooms.
Plus, these two just have an effortlessly funny, natural vibe together. Like “cheeky school boys”, they tell me.
“We just want to have fun. We want to do a good job and we want to have a good time doing it,” Tony says.
“We want to convey the experience for everybody at home and give them those insights from the ground in Switzerland,” Courtney adds.
This year, Eurovision will kick off from Wednesday, April 14 at 5am, and run until Sunday, May 18, 5am AEST on SBS and SBS On Demand.
Or, if you don’t want to wake up early (relatable but it’s half the fun), you can catch Tony and Courtney’s coverage from Friday, April 16 at 7:30pm AEST.
Sweet, sweet, yum, yum!!!!!!
