Triple M Sydney breakfast host, Lawrence ‘Moonman’ Mooney has left the station, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) revealed in a post on social media this morning.
Lawrence Mooney was the host of Moonman In The Morning, alongside Jess Eva and Chris Page. SCA confirmed that former NRL player Mark Geyer will replace Mooney in the breakfast lineup. The network is yet to confirm the new name of the show.
News of Mooney’s abrupt departure comes two weeks after national drive show host Mick Molloy quit the station earlier this month. SCA has not revealed the reason for his departure.
“Mooney was a regular on Triple M breakfast in Sydney and Melbourne, before officially joining Triple M Brisbane’s breakfast show in 2016,” the network wrote in a statement. “He moved to Sydney breakfast in 2019, joining Jess Eva and Chris Page. SCA thanks Mooney for his contribution to the Triple M Network over the past five years.”
Speculation about Mooney’s fate at Triple M reached a groundswell following the comedian’s week-long absence from the show this month, which was not acknowledged on-air by Eva and Page.
As news.com report, it has been suggested that the relationship between Mooney and his co-hosts has been tumultuous amid the shows dwindling ratings.
Listenership for Moonman In the Morning in 2021 began at 6.4%. A July survey showed a 1.1% dip, following a one-point drop the survey prior. It has consistently stayed around the 4.7% mark since.
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Mooney found himself mired in controversy earlier this year, after he was caught breaching COVID restrictions during Sydney’s recent extended lockdown.
the presented, who was working from the Triple M offices in the Sydney CBD, was caught holidaying in Byron days after Sydneysiders were ordered into lockdown. Mooney maintains that breaking restrictions was an “honest mistake.”
“I know how serious this is and the impact lockdowns are having across the state and am very embarrassed by my misunderstanding and stuff up,” Mooney told Sydney Confidential. “I feel like an absolute goose for not realising I wasn’t permitted to travel to Byron Bay during my break.”
