Ousted Triple M host Lawrence Mooney just made it publicly clear he’s not leaving his $2 million-a-year job without a fight.
Comedian and radio host Lawrence Mooney has enlisted the help of a top lawyer after his sudden exit from Triple M was announced yesterday.
The Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) network yesterday announced that Mooney, who had been mysteriously absent from his Triple M Moonman in the Morning breakfast show for more than a week, would not be returning to the program and would exit the network, effective immediately.
Overnight, a statement released by media and employment lawyer John Laxon of Laxon Lex Lawyers confirmed that Mooney had enlisted his services against Southern Cross Austereo.
“My client has a contract which runs through to the end of next year, which SCA has brought to an end,” Mr Laxon said. “The terms of that contract were drafted by SCA and were bargained for and agreed to by my client. He will hold SCA to those terms. All my client asks is that SCA honour the contract and observe the contractual arrangements which they put in place. No further comment will be made.”
SCA announced Mooney’s exit in a brief statement yesterday, saying that they thanked him “for his contribution to the Triple M Network over the past five years” but that he was leaving the network “today”.
Moonman in the Morning has now been renamed Triple M Breakfast with MG, Jess & Pagey, and his former co-hosts Jess Eva and Chris Page have not addressed his exit on-air.
It’s been reported that Mooney, 56, had fallen out with former The Block contestant Eva and several other staff members as the show suffered dwindling ratings.
In the latest radio survey, Moonman in the Morning attracted just a 4.6 per cent share in the ratings, compared with FM leader The Kyle and Jackie O Show, which collected 10.7 per cent.
According to entertainment reporter Peter Ford, it was an “internal” issue that led to Mooney’s abrupt departure from the airwaves.
“My information – which is very well-placed – says to me that it was an internal, off-air workplace issue that has led to this disappearance,” he told Seven’s The Morning Show yesterday.
“What will happen in terms of money will be interesting, because he has another year to run on his contract and I don’t imagine [SCA] will just pay it out as simply as that.”
SCA declined to comment further on Mooney’s departure beyond the statement issued yesterday.
The comedian was hired to host the show in January 2019 on a rumoured $750,000 salary.
According to the Daily Mail, that was increased to between $1.5 million and $2 million for 2020 and 2021.
Just last week, it was announced that retired NRL player and former Grill Team host Mark Geyer would be joining Triple M Sydney’s breakfast team in 2022 – a decision which may not have gone down well with Mooney, according to Mediaweek.
The usually outspoken comedian, who’s been no stranger to controversy in recentyears, is yet to publicly comment on his departure from Triple M.
Originally published as Lawrence Mooney calls in the lawyers after sudden Triple M exit
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