Matt Doran has called time on his five years at Weekend Sunrise.
The breakfast show host, 41, made the emotional announcement live on air at the end of today’s show on Sunday.
The Seven star, who recently opened up about his struggles with depression on The Morning Show, said he will take time to focus on his family and pursue other opportunities.
“Before we go today, some breaking news from the Doran household. I want to share with you a decision I have made, with my beautiful wife Kendall – and of course in earnest consultation with our beloved Italian Greyhound Murphy – and this is, after several years at Weekend Sunrise, I will end up at the end of it years,” he said.
‘This is something I’ve been concerned about because it’s fair to say this is one of the best jobs in the world, but we think it’s right and at the right time – for our little family.’
“Although I’m sad, and I’m doing everything I can right now not to look Mon in the eye, where I am now is honestly a place of incredible gratitude for the laughs, the lessons, the tears, the phenomenal sense of life perspective , the carousels of amazing snacks and I think even the tofu.”
“It is my unwavering belief that this role – especially being entrusted with telling people’s most intimate, most personal stories – is one of the most privileged positions on earth.”
Matt will present his final episode of Weekend Sunrise on Sunday 8 December, alongside his long-time co-host Monique Wright.
The breakfast show host broke down in tears as he spoke about his friendship with his close colleague.
“Maan, you’re not just a colleague, you’re my best friend and I’m going to miss you, any chance for a hug?” he said.
“I’m going to miss you.”
In September, Matt appeared on Morning Sunrise to launch his latest book, Mental State, about Australia’s mental health system – bravely opening up about his own struggles with depression.
The breakfast show host revealed his problems on Friday when he and co-host Kylie Gillies interviewed psychologist and author Mark Cross
“Do you think it will get better, Doctor, if we raise our hands like you and say, ‘I have anxiety’?” Matt asked Dr. Cross.
‘I’ve also had huge problems with depression in recent years, but people are still, I think, afraid to come forward and say that.’
“It’s amazing that you say that… the more we talk about it, the better it is,” Dr Cross said, praising Matt for speaking so openly about his depression on television.
Matt has sparked concern in recent years after mysteriously disappearing from work twice.
In June he failed to make it to Seven studios for work on Weekend Sunrise, prompting producers to look for a substitute, The Daily Telegraph reported.
He was replaced by news reporter Chris Reason, who returned to host the breakfast show alongside Monique Wright on Saturday 8 June.
A Channel Seven spokesperson told Ny Breaking Australia at the time that Matt was ‘on leave’.
It comes after Matt sparked a frantic police search last year when he disappeared while on a work assignment in the Hunter Valley. The star reporter was sent to cover a wedding bus accident that killed ten people, but he failed to show up for his 5:30 a.m. shift on June 13, 2023.
Matt’s disappearance came a year after he sparked a frantic police investigation when he vanished while on a work assignment in the Hunter Valley in June last year.
The star reporter was sent to cover a wedding bus accident that killed 10 people, but he failed to show up for his 5:30 a.m. shift on June 13.
Insiders said that when producers went to look for Matt at his hotel in Singleton, there was no knock at his door.
The high-profile crime reporter was last seen speaking to members of the Singleton community at a local football field.
Earlier, locals had seen Matt leaving the home of newlyweds Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, whose wedding was at the center of the tragedy.
When the reporter did not return calls, texts and emails ahead of his scheduled appearance at Sunrise, a producer went to check his hotel room.
Concerned colleagues contacted police, who issued a missing persons alert.
Matt was eventually found in a nearby cafe and was quickly replaced by his on-air colleague Liam Tapper.
Insiders say several factors may have contributed to his disturbing behavior, one of which suggests Matt may have been struggling with the confrontational nature of the wedding bus tragedy.
Matt took personal leave for several weeks after disappearing in the Hunter Valley and reportedly spent time at home ‘prioritizing his health’.
He was replaced on Weekend Sunrise by his colleague Michael Usher.
Matt, who started his career as a police reporter at the Herald Sun, joined Seven in 2017 after working in the Network Ten newsroom for almost eight years.
Two years later, he was promoted to his current role as co-host of Weekend Sunrise, alongside Monique Wright, after occasionally filling in for weekday host David Koch.