CALLED into the office on his holidays, yellow Wiggle Sam Moran was relaxed and disarmed - unprepared.

Sporting the kind of facial hair which usually scares the kiddies, Moran had no time or inclination to shave, dutifully answering the call to meet Wiggles' managing director Mike Conway mid-morning on Tuesday, The Daily Telegraph reported.



Half an hour later he was allegedly terminated from his job as lead singer and offered a payout of about $60,000: a little more than four months of his reported $200,000-a-year wage.

As blue Wiggle Anthony Field dismissed him yesterday, Moran the "hired hand" was hired no more.

Despite the carefully worded pronouncements surrounding the return of original member Greg Page, Moran neither "graciously offered to step aside" nor saw his end coming.

For Field and his brother Paul, part of The Wiggles core management team, this was meant to be a swift business transaction - "a creative decision not a financial one" - returning things to how they used to be.

The "natural chemistry" with Moran wasn't right, we were told, with purple Wiggle Jeff Fatt revealing he had simply "really missed Greg's voice".

It wasn't about the money, or the power imbalance between the three originals who all bought into Wiggles Inc, keeping the lion's share of the $28.2 million pocketed in 2011.

Despite being a loyal servant for almost 10 years - five as the international face of the children's super group - Moran was forced to accept less than 1 per cent of the band's reported annual earnings. It is understood his representations for greater compensation began early last year. He was consistently turned down.

Fatt, 58, who battled his own health issues last year, reportedly also agitated to retire but was rebuffed.

When Moran refused to read from the prepared script this week, this was one Big Red Car ride destined to end in a ditch. The crafted image from Wiggles HQ began to fray almost immediately after The Daily Telegraph exclusively revealed the cash disparity and shabby price put on Moran's yellow skivvy.

Answering to our claims repeated on Nine's Today show, Field was visibly uncomfortable even acknowledging his one-time workmate: "I don't want to speak for the guy ... I don't know how he feels."

What has infuriated fans on the group's Facebook site was his dismissive response to Moran's contribution.

"What Sam does now is Sam's thing. His contract has come to an end. Sam was doing a job. ... I haven't spoken to him," Field said.

Fan Rosa Giampa Nicoll won support for her comment on the site: "just saw the interview online and I have one thing to say to about Anthony's attitude ... once a cockroach, always a cockroach!"

Field's brother Paul rushed to his defence last night, admitting: "Anthony on the Today show, absolutely ... it wasn't a good moment."

While "consulted" on staff issues, Field said: "Anthony and the guys were not involved in negotiating anyone's package. At any time, had (Sam) been unhappy with his package he could have gone and he hasn't ... ergo he's happy with what he's got."

Fatt defended the decision by saying the group had got "a lot of flak for continuing without Greg, now we are getting flak for continuing with Greg".

For his part, Moran kept silent on the details of his split but returned to the studio to reassure young fans: "I just wanted to send a message to all the children around the world who have sent me such wonderful messages on Facebook and Twitter and some sad messages too saying how upset they are that I won't be the yellow Wiggle any more. Fear not, The Wiggles will continue and you will still see all your other friends."

He introduced Page as "another driver of the Big Red Car."

"It will be Greg, he'll be the yellow Wiggle. He was the yellow Wiggle before I was the yellow Wiggle and he will be again. I will miss seeing your smiling faces from the stage. Keep on Wigglin."

It is unlikely Moran's wife Lyn, who met her husband when she was playing Dorothy the Dinosaur, will return to perform. She is caring for the couple's daughter, Eloise, who turned two the day her dad was dumped.