At a glance…
- Sports presenter Danika Mason made her final broadcast on Channel Nine’s Today morning news show as she heads off on maternity leave.
- Danika joined the news show on 3 March, 2025 and announced she was pregnant on 1 July, 2026.
- She is the latest departure for Nine, which in recent months said goodbye to Kyle Stefanovic, Sarah Abo and Tim Davies. Plus, it will soon bid farewell to Sylvia Jeffreys, who took over from Sarah Abo, as she is expected to go on maternity leave in early 2027.
Morning television is losing another familiar face with Channel Nine bidding farewell to Today’s sports presenter Danika Mason.
Danika joined the show in March 2025 after appearing frequently on the Nine network’s 9News, The Sunday Footy Show, NRL on Nine, and Wide World of Sports.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid, waking up every morning to watch the show as I set my sights on a career in sports broadcasting,” Danika said when she first joined. “It’s also a full-circle moment for me at Nine because, just 10 years ago, my first-ever job at the network was producing sport for Today.”
She is the latest to leave the morning show, but like Sarah Abo, it’s for a happy reason: She’s going on maternity leave!
“Bit of news from me,” Danika shared on the show. “I’m going on maternity leave.”
But sadly for the show, it is a permanent decision.
“I’ve had to make the decision as to whether what I do when I come back next year … juggling all my NRL commitments, Today show, and then a new baby. 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.”
Danika won’t be staying away from the cameras for too long! Speaking to Confidential at The Everest just days after her Today announcement, Danika revealed plans to cover round one of the NRL 2027 season.
“I don’t think I’ll go over to Vegas for obvious reasons. But I’ll be back for round one in Australia,” she said.
Their daughter will be around 3 months old when the season begins, and may be sitting on the sidelines. “My mum has already offered to help, but she can travel with us.”
Danika is the fourth person to leave the show in recent months. Nine terminated Karl Stefanovic in June and his co-host Sarah Abo has since left the show on maternity leave. In August, Tim Davies also announced he was leaving. Then in September, Sylvia Jeffreys and Tim Steinfort were confirmed as the new hosts (replacing Karl and Sarah), however, Sylvia is also pregnant and is expected to go on maternity leave in early 2027.
Since joining Nine in 2012, Danika has covered some of the country’s biggest sporting events, including the NRL Grand Finals, State of Origin clashes, and the Australian Open.
Sydneysider Danika’s love of sport started young. Growing up in Sydney’s North West, she played netball, basketball, touch football, and soccer before pivoting towards sports journalism. She originally pursued engineering at university. However, she quickly realised her true passion lay in media, leading her to study journalism and marketing in Wollongong.
In July 2026, Danika shared that she was pregnant with her partner Liam Knight with a cute post on Instagram featuring her chocolate brown labrador.
“Some exciting news… off season will be a bit busier this year!” she wrote in the post.
Bulldogs player since the 2023 season, Liam has played with numerous teams across his career, including the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Canberra Raiders, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and now Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He is also a co-host of the Stuk in the Middle podcast with fellow rugby player Toby Rudolf.
Liam first announced the couple’s relationship on his Instagram on 12 July, 2024, with a sweet caption: “My life’s good.” He even included Danika’s dog in the carousel post!
Prior to the relationship, Danika was engaged to Todd Liubinskas, a personal trainer and fitness coach.
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