Brooke Boney shocked Today show viewers when she announced her resignation from the program in an on-air announcement on Friday.
The news and entertainment reporter, 36, confirmed live on air that she will be stepping down in a matter of months to pursue an exciting new career opportunity.
Boney broke down in tears as she announced she will be moving abroad to study at the prestigious Oxford University in a huge career change away from the screen.
She made a huge impression during her five years on the Channel Nine show, shaking up the panel with her outspoken comments around Australia Day and coverage of the Voice referendum.
As she confirms her departure from the popular breakfast show, Daily Mail Australia takes a look back at her rapid rise to success and her most memorable moments.
Brooke Boney shocked Today show viewers when she announced her resignation from the program in an on-air announcement on Friday
Boney has a background in journalism, having graduated from the University of Technology Sydney with a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) back in 2014.
She started her television career as political correspondent for SBS before moving to NITV, while she also worked as a newsreader for ABC’s radio network Triple J from 2016 until 2018.
Boney first joined the Today Show in 2019 as an entertainment reporter as she replaced long-standing editor Richard Wilkins, who moved across to Today Extra.
She said at the time: ‘I’m really thrilled to be joining the team and so excited to be working alongside Richard Wilkins. He’s such a legend in the business.
‘It’s such an exciting time to be joining Nine and am looking forward to learn from everyone on the Today team.
‘As a young girl growing up in the country I watched Today so it’s really awesome to know it’ll be my new home.’
She made a huge impression during her five years on the Nine show, shaking up the panel with her outspoken comments around Australia Day and coverage of the Voice referendum
Last year, Boney was then promoted to newsreader, taking over from Alex Cullen, who moved to focus solely on sport.
During her five years with the Today Show, Boney didn’t fail to make an impression and was known for her candid outspoken remarks and personable presenting style.
In 2021, Boney made headlines when she spoke candidly about how Australia Day affects her as an indigenous person and said the national occasion was ‘difficult’ for her.
Boney – who is of Aboriginal Gamilaroi descent – told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon: ‘It’s a difficult day for me. It’s weird that we have these big celebrations on this day in particular.
‘I’m not saying that we can’t have a national day, but that day in particular, there was so much brutality at that particular time.
‘Men, women and children were hunted mercilessly, and unspeakable things done to innocent babies. And that we choose that to hold up as our national day?’
Boney first joined the Today Show in 2019 as an entertainment reporter as she replaced long-standing editor Richard Wilkins, who moved across to Today Extra
Boney continued: ‘It’s a day [that] Aboriginal people can’t celebrate. [That] to me, this is a day of mourning. It’s a day of sadness.
‘And if you have a national day, then not everyone in the nation can celebrate them.’
Boney said the country should be celebrating something more positive, like the 1967 referendum to acknowledge the place of Aboriginal people in Australia.
It was not the first time Boney had spoken about Australia Day as she also addressed how it reminds her of the challenges still faced by Aboriginal people back in 2019.
At the time, she weighed in on the debate surrounding the divisive public holiday, starting a fiery conversation by saying Australia is ‘the best country in the world, no doubt’.
‘But I can’t separate the 26th of January from the fact that my brothers are more likely to go to jail than school, or that my little sisters and my mum are more likely to be beaten and raped than anyone else’s sisters or mum,’ she went on.
‘And that started from that day. For me it’s a difficult day and I don’t want to celebrate it. Any other day of the year I will tie an Australian flag around my neck and run through the streets with anyone else.’
In 2021, Boney made headlines when she spoke candidly about how Australia Day affects her as an indigenous person and said the national occasion was ‘difficult’ for her
Her comments were challenged by Today sports presenter Tony Jones, who asked: ‘But why should any other day be different to the January 26?’
To which she replied: ‘Because that’s the day that it changed for us. That’s sort of the beginning of what some people would say is the end. That’s the turning point.
‘I don’t want to tell anyone what they should be doing. [But] my view is move it to the day of federation – chuck on another public holiday, or just celebrate it on another day. But I think a day that suits more people is probably going to be more uniting.’
Deborah Knight applauded the panel for having a ‘grown up’ debate around the topic, but Boney dealt with fierce social media backlash following her outspoken remarks.
Last year, after her promotion to newsreader, Boney helmed Channel Nine’s the Voice referendum live coverage with Peter Overton.
Australia ultimately voted No to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament – with every single state rejecting the proposal and only the ACT voting Yes.
At the time, Boney revealed why she wanted to be involved in the historic referendum and convey the results regardless on whether the vote succeeded or not.
It was not the first time Boney had spoken about Australia Day as she also addressed how it reminds her of the challenges still faced by Aboriginal people back in 2019
‘I have a message for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers, as a Kamilaroi woman I wanted to be here tonight to deliver the results to you, regardless of the outcome,’ she said.
‘I wanted to be here to remind you all of the love we have for one another – a love that has served us for the last 60,000 years to be the longest-continuing culture of anywhere in the world. That does not happen by accident.’
She reflected on the divisiveness brought out during the debate around the Voice and encouraged the community to move forward together with a sense of hope.
‘This is a discussion that has, at times, been inspiring and at times been ugly. We’ve seen the best and the worst of people during this campaign.
‘As the sun sets on polling day, it will rise again tomorrow and our work continues – to make sure our babies are loved, our Elders are cared for and our community is strong. To all of you at home tonight, I say goodnight.’
At the time, her followers expressed their sympathies with the TV presenter and their sadness over the final result.
In another memorable moment from her TV career, Boney also famously unleashed on Pauline Hanson after she was banned from the Today show.
Last year, after her promotion to newsreader, Boney helmed Nine’s the Voice referendum live coverage with Peter Overton and revealed why she felt it was important to do so
In another memorable moment from her TV career, Boney also famously unleashed on Pauline Hanson after she was banned from the Today show
Hanson, a One Nation senator and frequent Today show guest, was banned by Nine in July 2020 after she called locked-down housing commission residents ‘drug addicts and alcoholics’ in a controversial rant.
Responding to the extraordinary remarks, Boney said there was a difference in using free speech to drive public debate forward and doing so ‘to be deliberately mean-spirited’.
‘I’m all for free speech, and I think that people, when they have different perspectives and different opinions, that most of the time it does help drive argument forward or debate forward,’ she said on Q&A at the time.
‘But when you use it to vilify people, or to be deliberately mean and mean-spirited, it’s… that, to me, is disgusting.’
‘I am so happy to see her gone,’ Boney told Q&A host Hamish Macdonald. ‘She says hurtful things about Aboriginal people as well that upset me.
Brooke has marked a number of huge milestones during her television career and even hosting the ARIA Awards last year
‘It’s not about me being upset – it’s about someone being intentionally divisive. And they’re ill-informed, they’re just not true – the things that she says.
‘That’s what’s really upsetting because, as a journalist, you try your very best to make sure that what you say is factual and even when you do give your opinion, you don’t say things that aren’t true.’
Nine executives said the comments by the divisive senator were ‘ill-informed and divisive’, while the network’s director of morning television Steven Burling called them ‘unacceptable’.
Throughout her time as news and entertainment reporter on the Today show, Boney has also brushed shoulders with the Hollywood elite and travelled around the globe.
She has interviewed the likes of actress Olivia Colman, former basketball player Scottie Pippen, Dame Helen Mirren and has even covered the Oscars.
Throughout her time as news and entertainment reporter on the Today show, Boney has also brushed shoulders with the Hollywood elite, including Olivia Colman
She has interviewed the likes of actress former basketball player Scottie Pippen (both pictured) and Dame Helen Mirren and has even covered the Oscars
Confirming her resignation live on air on Friday, Boney said she will leave the show after the 2024 Paris Olympics in August to move abroad to study at Oxford University.
‘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,’ she said.
‘I don’t want to go into too much right now, because there’ll be plenty of time for goodbyes and thank-yous, but I just wanted to share that good/bad news with you all this morning.’
Boney will study an intensive one-year Masters of Public Policy course – which focuses on economics and policymaking.
The rising Nine star admitted the decision to leave her role on the program was ‘really difficult’.
Confirming her resignation live on air on Friday, Boney said she will leave the show after the 2024 Paris Olympics in August to move abroad to study at Oxford University
‘It’s 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’m so grateful to come in here every day and I love you all so much. So it’s made the decision really difficult. But it just means that you’ll all have to plan trips to the UK to come and visit me.’
Boney was comforted by her co-host Sarah Abo as she was left teary-eyed after sharing her big news, admitting she had ‘mixed emotions’ due to her love for her job.
‘My head is spinning right now. My heart’s beating really fast,’ she added.
