The new host of Weekend Today has been appointed after presenter Clint Stanaway left the Channel 9 program. The 42-year-old sports and news journalist announced his departure in September after nearly 25 years with the network, moving across to Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren radio show.
But today, the Nine Network revealed who would step into his shoes. Former 9 News Queensland sports reporter and presenter Michael Atkinson will now be a permanent fixture, co-hosting alongside Alison Piotrowski and news presenter Lizzie Pearl.
He has been filling in over the summer, and the Queenslander said he is elated with his new position.
RELATED:
“I grew up in regional Queensland where weekends are about family, sport and catching up on what matters, so this role feels especially meaningful,” Michael said.
The appointment comes as Channel 9 continue to grapple with rumours that Karl Stefanovic’s contract could soon be on the chopping block.
Michael Atkinson will co-host Weekend Today alongside Alison Piotrowski and newsreader Lizzie Pearl. Source: Nine Network
The Australian reported the network is in the midst of a “not so secret” succession plan that could see a new lineup on the programme.
But a spokesperson for Channel 9 told Yahoo Lifestyle the host was not going anywhere.
“We’re incredibly proud of our Today team and the work they’ve been doing in an already busy 2026 and delighted that, as announced at the Nine Upfronts back in October, Sarah [Abo] and Karl continue to lead the incredible Today team in what will be a big year full of headlines and events that affect the lives of our viewers,” they said.
There were a string of major departures from the network late last year as redundancies were linked to the Nine Group’s a $100 million cost-cutting program.
Veteran 9News anchor and weather presenter Amber Sherlock notably disappeared from screens before news presenter Georgie Gardener confirmed on-air that she had been dumped.
Sherlock had been at Channel 9 since 2007.
In addition to Sherlock, long-time Adelaide presenter Kate Collins was given the chop and Nine News director Jeremy Pudney left.
Regional NBN News presenter Gavin Morris was another high-profile casualty.
Why did Clint Stanaway leave Channel 9?
The former Today presenter opened up about his shock decision to leave Channel 9 last year.
He announced in September that he had resigned from his TV roles to focus on his full-time gig in radio and pursue “a better work-life balance”.
Clint detailed the gruelling reality of working such extreme hours and how it impacted both his physical and mental health.
He told the Big Bros podcast that he experienced “significant burnout” working three jobs, and he had made the “really tough” decision to leave Nine because he “needed to get [his] life back”.
“Physically, first and foremost, I was just getting sick a lot, pushing the envelope,” he said.
“I had really bad gut issues, I was getting headaches, I wasn’t sleeping well, which is ironic, because I was so tired, but I just couldn’t sleep.
“It was scary. I was getting chest issues, like I had chest pain,” he continued. “And a bit of anxiety as well.”
Clint went on to share that he also experienced “social burnout” and simply didn’t have any time to see his friends and loved ones, which he described as “pretty distressing”.
“When I finished work, I was going home because I was exhausted. I’d sit on the couch, go to bed,” he said.
SHOP:
“In fact, every day was set an alarm, go to bed, wake up, go to work, and sometimes go to work radio, go to work TV in the same day, come home at seven o’clock, make my dinner, sit on the couch, go to bed. That was all I was doing.”
Clint began his television career with WIN in Bendigo before joining 9News as a reporter in 2005. He later landed the role of weekend sports presenter on 9News and became the sports presenter on Weekend Today in 2019.
Four years later, Clint was announced as the new co-host of Weekend Today alongside Jayne Azzopardi, who has since been replaced by Alison Piotrowski.
He has also been the newsreader for the Melbourne breakfast radio show Jase & Lauren since 2021, when they were on KIIS, and stayed with the team when they moved to Nova in 2024.
Want the latest lifestyle and entertainment news? Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.