Channel Nine's Liz Hayes quits after 44 years: 'Much has changed'

After 44 years on the air at Channel Nine, veteran reporter Liz Hayes is leaving the network to explore other opportunities. The popular journalist has lent her talents to 9News, Today, 60 Minutes and Under Investigation with Liz Hayes.

Liz started at Nine in 1981, working as a reporter on 9News before going on to present the morning bulletin. From 1986 until 1996, she co-hosted Today with Steve Liebmann, before moving on to front 60 Minutes.

As the host of Under Investigation, Liz worked to solve crimes and uncover new evidence surrounding unsolved mysteries, complex social issues and big events, such as the disappearance of Victorian mum Samantha Murphy case and the 1988 rape and murder of Sydney woman Janine Balding.

Liz Hayes 'grateful' for time at Nine

“When I arrived at Nine I had little more than a notebook and a typewriter, but like my new and far more experienced colleagues, I carried with me an enormous passion for telling stories," Liz said in a statement. "I was blessed. I had found my tribe. Even Nine’s owner at the time, Kerry Packer, seemed to carry the same passionate storytelling gene.

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“Of course since then much has changed. The media world has evolved as have I. What hasn’t changed is the need for good stories to be told, and I will continue to tell them.

“I leave Nine grateful for the decades of experience, the wonderful friendships that have endured and deeply appreciative to the many people who trusted me to tell their stories.”

Over the course of her career, Liz has interviewed everyone from politicians to A-list celebrities and athletes.

She has won several awards, including a Logie for producing and presenting the documentary The Greatest Gift and the 2024 Media Diversity Australia Award for Under Investigation with Liz Hayes.

Why is Liz Hayes leaving Channel Nine?

While it is unclear what exactly she will do next, Liz will still remain part of the Nine family and will make future appearances for “special stories and events broadcast."

Nine’s director of television, Michael Healy said: “Liz Hayes is an Australian television legend and has dedicated most of her career to Nine, she will leave an undeniable legacy.

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“Her many accomplishments speak volumes about the type of journalist she is – tenacious, a truth seeker, and above all, a storyteller. I’d like to recognise Liz for the impact she has had on Australian journalism and thank her for all she has done for Nine over the past 44 years.

“We know Liz’s next chapter will be just as successful as her last, and she has our full support.”

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