Nine staff left ‘dumbfounded’ after embattled former news boss Darren Wick farewelled with massive payout

Nine staff are in revolt over claims former news boss Darren Wick is receiving a near $1 million golden handshake despite the mounting claims he harassed women.

• Logies after-party video follows Wick allegations

Nine staff are in revolt over claims former news boss Darren Wick is receiving a near $1 million golden handshake despite the mounting claims he harassed women.

The media company is under increasing pressure following accusations it covered up allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Wick.

He is believed to be on the Nine payroll officially until the end of the financial year, following his resignation on March 15.

It comes at a time when Nine budgets across its news and current affairs divisions are being slashed.

“It is definitely a slap in the face,” one high-profile media identity within the network told The Daily Telegraph.

“Lots of people are really dumbfounded to be honest.”

Wick claimed he resigned due to being “tired” and in need of a “rest” and has since enjoyed a series of farewell events, while also being seen at Nine’s North Sydney offices.

He had been “missing” from the workplace for several weeks prior to the resignation with many internally and externally questioning his whereabouts.

Nine has been on the backfoot over the past week as many women have come forward with an avalanche of claims of inappropriate behaviour by Wick and raised concerns about the toxic culture that enabled it.

Nine boss Mike Sneesby. Picture: Nikki Short

On Monday, Nine boss Mike Sneesby reportedly called an all-staff meeting at which he announced an external investigator was being brought in to examine the complaints.

Another prominent media figure at Nine said: “There’s certainly a lot of questions being asked. People are surprised. There’s budget cuts left, right and centre, it is all about budget cuts, not largesse. Everyone has been expecting job cuts so getting a golden handshake or even a small pay rise if you work here is a rare thing.”

The Daily Telegraph has spoken to yet another woman, who spoke of her experience being targeted by Wick at the now infamous 2019 Logies after-party on the Gold Coast.

She was shocked to hear of his extravagant payout.

The decision to hand Wick a lucrative payout has put many staff at Nine offside. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“It is disgusting that he has received any payout whatsoever given his behaviour,” she said. “Getting a pay rise is nearly impossible so that makes it even more shocking.”

Speaking on the basis of anonymity for fear or repercussion, she revealed her incident in shockingly similar detail to one of the network’s major stars after she told of Wick being ‘gropey’ at the event.

“He cornered me and hugged me a few times throughout the night,” the employee said.

“Then it became more serious on the dance floor, he kept coming back for even more ‘hugs’ over and over. I couldn’t get away from him. His hands were all over the place and I was so uncomfortable. It happened in front of my co-workers and that was mortifying. I snuck out of the party and went back to my room.”

The Daily Telegraph has sighted the woman’s call log, showing Wick rang her mobile phone multiple times in quick succession in the early hours of the morning.

The woman said she didn’t report the incident out of concerns it would put her career at risk. In the days following the Logies after-party, it became well-known at Nine that there had been an alleged accusation of inappropriate behaviour by Wick towards a network star.

“Back in Sydney, it came out that another woman had complained about Wickie’s behaviour that night and the internal rumour mill was swirling,” she said. “People were calling the accusation an ‘insurance policy’ to keep her job. I can only imagine where that narrative started or how it made that woman feel.”

Former Nine news chief Darren Wick outside court in 2021. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Nine has said no official complaint was lodged. But the on-air star said she raised the incident with a Nine board member.

Backing up that claim, the new staffer said she also witnessed Wick behaving inappropriately with a different female Nine employee at the star-studded party.

“I saw them at the bar and he was doing the same thing to her that he did to me, hugging her again and again,” she said. “She looked uncomfortable.”

Wick did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

Wick’s reputation for behaving inappropriately towards women at work events is understood to have been well-known within Nine’s walls.

One high profile on air personality previously detailed their experience with Wick at a Nine News Christmas party at Sydney’s Woolly Bay Hotel, where he allegedly attempted to kiss a subordinate.

“The next day it was all a joke, like who did Wickie try to kiss last night? Looking back at it objectively, it was just unhealthy and toxic, that environment.”

It has emerged that Wick had multiple consensual romances with women working for him, as well as being accused of sexually harassing others.

The loss in confidence in the HR process has been raised in the past week, amid concerns that women don’t feel safe to raise complaints about their superiors.

One woman made a formal legal complaint that led to Wick’s departure after 29 years with Nine.

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