Danika Mason has been announced as Alex Cullen’s replacement on Channel Nine’s Today Show.
The sports presenter will be joining the desk alongside co-hosts Sarah Abo and Karl Stefanovic, news.com.au reported on Thursday.
Danika currently presents Wide World of Sports and is a sideline reporter for Nine’s NRL coverage.
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed she was one of the front runners for Alex’s presenting role on the breakfast show.
Roz Kelly was also in the running, with a TV insider revealing both female presenters are ‘really strong contenders.’
Danika Mason (pictured) has been announced as Alex Cullen’s replacement on the Today Show
Danika will be joining the desk alongside co-hosts Sarah Abo and Karl Stefanovic (both pictured)
Last month, hosts Stefanovic and Abo announced that Cullen wouldn’t be returning to the program.
He was sensationally axed for accepting $50,000 from The Block billionaire Adrian Portelli.
‘As most of you are well aware, our colleague Alex Cullen has not been on air with us this past week,’ a solemn Stefanovic told viewers live on air.
‘There has been widespread reporting on the circumstances surrounding this, what I can say is that last night, Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network.
‘Alex has, of course, been part of the Today family for five years now, he’s always ready with a smile and a laugh and without hesitation speaking for all of us here, we can say that we are going to miss him terribly, that’s for sure.
‘Alex is a terrific fella, what you see is what you get and he has been a great mate to all of us over these years and we wish Alex, his wife Bonnie and his beautiful kids all the very best for the future.’
Cullen, 44, was gifted the sizeable sum after he was the first media personality to use Portelli’s self-proclaimed nickname ‘McLaren Man’ live on air – sparking a firestorm.
The scandal kicked off when Portelli had grown tired of his long-used nickname ‘Mr Lambo’ and offered the cash reward to the first person to use his new moniker on air, with Cullen obliging on the Today show.
Alex (pictured) was sensationally axed for accepting $50,000 from The Block billionaire Adrian Portelli
Portelli has grown tired of his long-used nickname ‘Mr Lambo’ and offered the cash reward to the first person to use his new moniker on air, with Cullen obliging on the Today Show
The Block entrepreneur then posted what appeared to be a bank transfer of $50,000 to the presenter on Instagram.
Accepting cash, gifts or benefits to undermine journalistic independence, and improperly using a journalistic position for personal gain, are both breaches of the journalism code of ethics as defined by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance union.
The ill-advised stunt led to Cullen being suspended by Nine and he did not appear on the show while the network investigated the payment. The sum has been donated to charity by Portelli.
A Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Nine has agreed with Today presenter and journalist Alex Cullen that he will finish with the network following a review into a recent incident.’
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