Triple M confirms Lawrence Mooney's exit after unexplained absence

After a fortnight of speculation, Lawrence 'Moonman' Mooney's departure from the Triple M Sydney Breakfast show Moonman In The Morning has been confirmed.

The 56-year-old comedian's exit was announced in a brusque, four-sentence statement by the station's parent company, Southern Cross Austereo on Monday morning.

"SCA thanks Mooney for his contribution to the Triple M Network over the past five years," the statement read.

Mooney moved to Sydney to spearhead Triple M's breakfast show with I'm A Celebrity... star Jess Eva and Chris 'Pagey' Page in January 2019 after joining the network three years earlier.

Despite securing what Daily Mail alleges is a $2million a year salary for 2020/21, the introduction of the 'Moonman' failed to boost ratings as intended.

Mooney was absent without explanation from the program for the past two weeks, leaving listeners scratching their heads.

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On November 3, it was announced that ex-NRL star Mark 'MG' Geyer would depart the Triple M Sydney team to join Moonman in the Morning in 2022.

It's believed that the show will be renamed following Mooney's exit.

Mooney's time on Triple M was not without controversy, with the star raising eyebrows after branding Karl Stefanovic's ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn a 'nightmare' in 2019.

That same year, he drew the ire of former Sunrise host Samantha Armytage when he claimed she 'spat the dummy' on the set of The Chase.

And in 2020, Studio 10 hosts Natarsha Belling and Joe Hildebrand were forced to apologise for Mooney's 'offensive language' after he jokingly accused the show of "sl*t shaming and casual racism".

It's unclear what Mooney will do next career-wise, however, he did launch his own podcast, Saturday Afternoon Fever back in August.

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