Brooke Boney announced her shock departure from the Today show live on air on Friday morning – and viewers have been left torn by the surprise news.
The TV presenter, 36, confirmed she will be leaving the Channel Nine breakfast show to pursue her dreams at Oxford University in the UK.
While some said they were happy to see Brooke go, most were sad to see her go, sending their congratulations and heartache over her exit.
‘Good luck in your future years and congratulations Brooke. You also did a fun and amazing job with your spot on the Today show,’ one person wrote.
‘Congratulations. So happy for you, sad for us. Wishing you all exciting wonderful things in your next chapter,’ said another.
Brooke Boney announced her shock resignation from the Today Show live on air on Friday morning – and viewers have been left torn by the surprise news
A third added: ‘Congratulations and good luck with your new opportunity. Won’t be the same without your smiley face.’
Another commented: ‘Congratulations Brooke what an achievement. You will be missed. Living the dream.’
Meanwhile, others expressed their relief that she will no longer appear on the popular show.
‘Glad she’s going,’ one person said, while another wrote: ‘Good news, she’s hopeless.’
The TV presenter confirmed that she will be leaving the Channel Nine breakfast show to pursue her dreams at Oxford University in the UK
While some said they were happy to see Brooke go, most were sad to see her go and sent their congratulations and heartache over her exit
Yet another commented, ‘Goodbye’, while another added: ‘Thanks duck for that, she was hopeless.’
Brooke announced her shock resignation during an emotional announcement on Friday morning.
The presenter has been part of the show as both a news and entertainment reporter for five years, but is now leaving to study abroad.
She confirmed that she will be moving abroad to study at Oxford University from September and will leave the show after the 2024 Paris Olympics in August.
Brooke announced: ‘I have some very big news for you this morning. I’ve been offered a place at Oxford University later this year, which means I’ll be leaving the show after the Olympics.
Brooke announced her shock resignation from the Today Show live on air in an emotional announcement on Friday morning
‘I won’t go into too much right now as there will be plenty of time for goodbyes and thank yous, but I just wanted to share the good/bad news with you this morning.’
Brooke will study an intensive one-year Masters of Public Policy course – which focuses on economics and politics.
The rising Nine star admitted the decision to leave her beloved role on the show was ‘really difficult’.
“It has been a dream of mine to be able to study at an overseas university and it just felt like the right time to take that step,” she explained.
‘I am so grateful to come in here every day and I love you all so much. So that has made the decision really difficult. But that just means you’ll all have to plan trips to the UK to come and visit me.’
Brooke was comforted by her co-host Sarah Abo as she broke down in tears after sharing her big news, admitting she had ‘mixed emotions’ due to her love for her job.
‘My head spinning right now. My heart is beating really fast,” she added.
Brooke was in tears as she confirmed her big news and admitted the decision to leave her beloved role on the show was ‘really hard’
Karl Stefanovic also shared his pride as he gushed over her huge achievement in gaining a place at the prestigious red brick university.
He said: ‘It’s a big deal to break away from something as secure as this and make your dreams come true. To take that step, to bite it off, is a testament to you as a person and says everything about you.’
“The good news is you’ll be able to catch up with my daughter to check in,” Karl also joked about his daughter Willow, 18, who is studying at the London College of Fashion.
However, Brooke assured fans that she will still be on screen for a few more months as she will cover the 2024 Olympics live from Paris.
“We’re going to have a wonderful time in Paris,” Brooke gushed excitedly.
Brooke will study an intensive Masters of Public Policy course which sees students tackle some of this century’s most complex public policy challenges.
According to the course prospectus, the curriculum focuses on modules in economics, public policy, law and politics of decision-making.
“It is a transformative opportunity for current and future leaders with a commitment to public service,” the course description adds.
Talking to NineBrooke described working on the Today Show as a ‘privilege’ and said ‘never in her wildest dreams’ did she think she would be on the programme.
Despite her big change, she hasn’t ruled out a return to TV in the future and said she hopes her studies will help her decide what to do next in her career.
‘I thought if I don’t do this now, I probably never will. I’m at the age where if I leave now and go and study and come back I’ll still only be 38,’ she said.
“That still leaves plenty of time to figure out the next part of my career.”
Despite her big change, she hasn’t ruled out a return to TV in the future and said she hopes her studies will help her decide what to do next in her career
‘I would love to be able to come back and still do things with Nine and find out what that looks like.’
Steven Burling, Nine’s director of morning television, said of Brooke’s exit: ‘We couldn’t be prouder of Brooke as she embarks on this challenge in the final part of the year, she inspires us all as she follows her dreams, wherever they may be goes there. her.’
Brooke started her TV career as a political correspondent for SBS before moving to NITV and she then joined the Today Show back in 2019.
She first joined the Channel Nine show as an entertainment reporter, replacing long-serving editor Richard Wilkins, who moved to Today Extra.
Brooke has soared in her TV presenting career and even hosted the 2023 ARIA Awards last year
She said at the time: ‘I’m really excited to be joining the team and so excited to be working with Richard Wilkins. He is such a legend in the industry.
‘It’s such an exciting time to be joining Nine and I’m looking forward to learning from everyone in the Today team.
‘As a young girl who grew up in the country, I saw today, so it’s really great to know that it’s going to be my new home.’
Last year, Brooke was then promoted to newsreader, taking over from Alex Cullen, who moved to focus solely on sports.