The Taxi-Gate Photos Putting Karl's Comeback In Jeopardy

The TV host was winning until a new controversy engulfed him

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Karl Stefanovic and his younger brother Peter were in particularly high spirits when they left a swanky restaurant in Sydney last week after weeks of speculation that he was about to be handed back his old job on Today.

It looked a lot like a celebration lunch, but what happened next failed to impress Nine bosses, who are now reconsidering throwing him a lifeline – all because he appeared to make light of the Ubergate scandal that contributed to his downfall.

Joking and laughing as they got into a taxi together after a long lunch in a private dining room at posh Woolloomooloo Wharf restaurant Otto, the famous brothers hammed it up for the cameras as they climbed into the back seat of a taxi – not an Uber.

SPANNER IN THE WORKS

Like naughty schoolboys caught in the act, the brothers found it hilarious they were sprung hopping into the cab.

Peter, 37, even rolled his head back in uproarious laughter as Karl, 44, gave him a thumbs-up – an apparent nod to the infamous controversy last year.