Source : the age
Sports presenter Danika Mason has joined the exodus from the Today show, announcing her departure from the program on Friday morning.
“Bit of news from me … I’m going on maternity leave,” Mason said on the show. “I’ve had to make the decision as to whether what I do when I come back next year … obviously juggling all my NRL commitments, [the] Today show, and then a new baby as well.
“Something had to give, so I’ve made a pretty tough decision … when I return next year, I won’t be coming back to the show.”
Mason’s announcement marks the fourth high-profile departure of Today presenters since June, when the network terminated media personality Karl Stefanovic’s multimedia contract after an interview with far-right British activist Tommy Robinson.
Last month, Stefanovic’s former co-host, Sarah Abo, confirmed while she was on maternity leave that she was leaving the program, while weather presenter Tim Davies announced in August he would leave the show. Sylvia Jeffreys and Tom Steinfort were in September announced as the new hosts of Today.
Mason is one of Nine’s NRL and sports presenters and joined Today in May 2025, after beginning at Nine (also the owner of this masthead) in 2012.
In July, Mason, who is married to former NRL prop Liam Knight, announced she was pregnant. The decision to leave the program was not easy, Mason said on air.
“I’ve absolutely loved my time with everyone. We have the best audience, we have the best team, and it has been an absolute, just such a fun two years, and everyone who is in here in the morning, all our floor crew, you guys are just amazing, and I’ve had the best time,” she said.
In February, Mason made international headlines and had to apologise for drinking before an awkward live cross from the Winter Olympics in Italy, during which she stumbled over her words.
Mason’s departure comes at a dire time for Nine’s flagship breakfast program, which continues to lag Seven’s Sunrise in the hard-fought timeslot.
On Wednesday, Sunrise boasted a 421,000 total national average audience rating, while Today was well behind at 273,000.
The appointments of Jeffreys and Steinfort followed an era of the show marked by a rotating roster of fill-in hosts. Jeffreys recently revealed she is pregnant with her third child and is likely to be on maternity leave for at least a few months early next year, which suggests the hosting shuffling will continue to some extent.
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Kayla Olaya is a culture reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
