Lisa Wilkinson’s eye-opening memoir is causing waves of waves – even before it’s published.

And now the huge lead that the TV presenter, 61, was paid to write her autobiography, It Wasn’t Meant To Be Like This, can finally be revealed.

Today’s ousted star received an upfront payment of “over $ 400,000” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The figure is “on par with” advances paid to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and rock icon Jimmy Barnes for their respective memoirs, according to the publication.

In terms of publishing, an advance is essentially an initial signing bonus for an author.

It is usually paid out of future royalty income, which means that for every dollar the author receives upfront, he must earn a dollar from book sales before receiving additional royalty payments.

Estimated company: Figure is ‘on par’ with advances paid to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard (right in 2015) and rock icon Jimmy Barnes (left in 2012) for their respective memoirs

The revelation comes after Karl Stefanovic finally broke his silence on the autobiography of his former Today co-host.

Lisa makes several explosive statements about Karl in the revealing memoir, including that he had her “cold shoulder” when she left the show and that there was a pay gap between them.

When contacted for comment by the Sydney Morning Herald on Lisa’s claims, Karl, 47, took to the highways.

‘I’m very happy’: Karl Stefanovic (left) posted an elegant response to Lisa’s revealing memoir, which contains several explosive claims about their time on the Today show together

“Brother, I have too many positive and wonderful things in my life to talk about,” he said.

‘I am very happy. In work and in life, ”he added.

Entertainment reporter Peter Ford claimed on Wednesday 6PR Breakfast it was Stefanovic who initially “lobbied” for Wilkinson to get her job on the Today show in 2006, knowing “full well that she would make more money than him”.

Wilkinson’s new autobiography, It Wasn’t Meant To Be Like This, lifts the veil on the couple’s seemingly strained relationship, even claiming Stefanovic gave him a cold shoulder the week before his release from the show.

Entertainment reporter Peter Ford claimed on Wednesday that it was Karl (left) who initially “lobbied” Lisa (right) to get her job on the Today show in 2006, knowing “very well that she would earn more money than him ‘

“It was actually Karl who got Lisa the job,” Ford told host Gareth Parker.

“They met socially through Larry Emdur, and at the time they were looking for a new co-host and Karl went to lobby Eddie McGuire – who ran the joint – and I suspect Lisa was probably shortlisted. anyway, because she’s perfectly qualified for the gig.

“But certainly Karl went and pressured her to get it, knowing full well that she would be sitting next to him and making more money than him.”

“Karl went and pressured her to get it, knowing full well that she would be sitting by his side and making more money than him,” Ford said.

He added that he didn’t think Karl would “say anything” about the rumor, adding that it was probably “the wisest decision” to keep quiet.

Daily Mail Australia contacted a representative for Lisa Wilkinson for comment at the time. Channel Nine declined to comment when approached.

Wilkinson’s explosive new book includes a chapter devoted to his sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Stefanovic over a wage dispute.

She alleges that Stefanovic proposed in August 2015 that they join forces to renegotiate their nine contracts – much like the cast of the American sitcom Friends worked together to negotiate better deals with NBC.

But she claims he ended up giving up on the idea and instead pitted rival networks Nine and Seven against each other in order to get a better deal for himself.

“Weeks later… the media was inundated with stories that Stefanovic was restless at Today and looking for greener pastures – and more civilized working hours – at Channel Seven,” she wrote. .

Wilkinson’s new book includes a chapter devoted to his sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Stefanovic over a wage dispute. She alleges Stefanovic offered in August 2015 to join forces to renegotiate their Nine contracts – but claims he gave up on that idea and instead played Nine and Seven against each other to get a better deal for him. -same.

Stefanovic was soon at the center of a bidding war between Nine and Seven that resulted in him re-signing a five-year contract with Nine worth at least $ 2 million a year.

Wilkinson’s deal was worth much less, around $ 780,000 a year, and was only for two years.

“There was no doubt about it: Karl certainly knew the art of the business,” she wrote, adding that the resulting pay gap between them “was so off the charts that no one would have believed “.

However, that doesn’t tell the whole story, with News.com.au Reporting this week, Wilkinson had actually earned more than Stefanovic for years when they first joined forces on Today, and it wasn’t until the end of their partnership that the tables turned.

“There was no doubt about it: Karl certainly knew the art of the business,” Lisa wrote in the memoir, adding that the resulting pay gap between them “was so off the charts that no one would have believed “

An article written by respected political journalist Samantha Maiden on Tuesday reported that when Karl first signed up for breakfast in 2006, he was paid half of Lisa’s pay, which was $ 700,000. .

“When they first appeared on the show, she got paid a lot more than he did,” an alleged Nine insider told the publication.

“Then he managed to get a fee increase because Seven made him a big offer. If Nine wanted to keep him, they had to pay him, which happened.

“If you look at what he’s paid now, it’s probably not that much different from what he was offered. So, you know, you can take things at some point, but I don’t think there would have been much difference between the two by now.

This damning article – which questions Wilkinson’s most important claim about his Today show release – would have sent the book’s publisher in a major twist.

Harper Collins Australia has demanded that a preview copy of the briefs be returned by the news website after the story is published, senior sources told Daily Mail Australia.

Harper Collins Australia demanded that a copy of the briefs be returned by the news website after the article was published, sources told Daily Mail Australia.

“They exploded and demanded their copy,” an insider said of the website.

News.com.au editor Lisa Muxworthy declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. A spokesperson for Harper Collins declined to confirm the allegation.

The news.com.au article challenged Wilkinson’s most important claim about his exit from the Today show. (Wilkinson is pictured on Channel 10’s The Project)