Samantha Armytage has been blasted by Sunrise viewers for firing off a brutal tweet describing her ex-colleague Natalie Barr as 'desperate' for her job.
The former Sunrise host, 44, made headlines on Monday after she criticised Natalie, 53, on Twitter for continuing to speak about her in the press, three months after taking over as host of Seven's breakfast show.
Critics have since blasted Sam on social media, accusing her of exhibiting 'catty' behaviour with her 'unnecessary' posts.
'What happened to supporting the sisterhood?' Ex-Sunrise host Samantha Armytage (left) has been slammed online over her tweet about Natalie Barr (right) being desperate for her job
'Catty behaviour is unbecoming. This tweet is totally unnecessary,' one fan raged.
'Such a low blow on your part for posting this,' another agreed.
Other viewers rushed to Natalie's defence, praising her for remaining dignified amid the pair's feud.
'Not cool': Critics blasted Sam on social media, accusing her of exhibiting 'catty' behaviour with her 'unnecessary' posts
'Hey Sam, what happened to supporting the sisterhood? Nat is a natural and so authentic at doing the job with class,' one person wrote.
'Glad Nat is a woman that doesn't need to post unnecessary tweets,' another added.
Sam and Natalie's rivalry was exposed last week after Natalie told The Australian Women's Weekly the pair weren't friends outside the workplace.
'Nat is a natural and so authentic at doing the job with class': Other viewers rushed to Natalie's defence, praising the 53-year-old for remaining dignified amid the pair's feud
On Monday, Sam brushed off a question about their rivalry on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, before taking a swipe at Natalie on Twitter hours later.
'Look, I'm out. Nat's wanted the job forever... and she's finally got it. She just needs to get on and enjoy it - and forget about me (even though I'm unforgettable),' Sam tweeted, adding the hashtag #PeaceOut.
Sam was co-anchor of Sunrise from June 2013 until March this year, when she stepped down to spend more time with her family.
On the attack: The feud between Samantha and Natalie escalated on Monday, with former anchor Sam firing off a brutal tweet describing her successor as desperate for the top job
'Nat's wanted the job forever... and she's finally got it': Samantha had brushed off a question about their feud on Kyle and Jackie O, before taking a swipe at Natalie on Twitter hours later
Natalie, the show's longtime newsreader, replaced her the week following her departure.
Sam's tweet contradicts Natalie's own account of her promotion to co-anchor, as she has always said she didn't aspire to be host and was surprised when Seven offered her the job in March.
The Twitter broadside came after Sam offered a very telling response on Kyle and Jackie O when questioned about rumours she didn't get along with her successor.
Having her say: The Twitter broadside came after Sam offered a very telling response on Kyle and Jackie O when questioned about rumours she didn't get along with her successor
During the live interview earlier on Monday, she momentarily froze when asked about Natalie's previous claim they weren't friends outside the workplace.
Instead of addressing their frosty relationship directly, Sam paraphrased Oscar Wilde's famous quote, 'There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.'
Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson broached the subject, saying: '[Natalie] did an interview where she said you guys weren't that close because you didn't have a lot in common and that you wouldn't really talk when the cameras were off.'
Caught off-guard: During the live interview, she momentarily froze when asked about Natalie's claim they weren't friends outside work. Pictured from left: Sam, Natalie and Kylie Gillies
After a pause, Sam dodged the question by saying: 'Yeah, well, look, I mean it's better to be talked about than not, isn't it in life?'
The former Sunrise host then took a subtle swipe at Natalie for bringing her up in an interview after she'd decided to take a step back from the TV industry.
She said: 'I thought everyone might forget about me when I was having my little sabbatical, but it seems they're not, you know?'
Ouch: Instead of addressing their frosty relationship directly, Sam said, 'Well, look, I mean it's better to be talked
