Matty Johns confirms he’s asked Triple M for move off The Grill Team
TV and radio host Matty Johns has rocked Triple M management by asking to quit The Grill Team breakfast show after eight years.
NRL
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TV and radio host Matty Johns has rocked Triple M management by asking to quit The Grill Team breakfast show after eight years.
“I need a break from the 4am alarm clock,” Johns told The Daily Telegraph when asked about rumours he met with Triple M boss Mike Fitzpatrick last week.
“Yep, it’s true. I’ve just about had enough and I’ve asked them to consider another role in the business.
“I’ve done breakfast for eight years. How blokes like Alan Jones keep doing it is unbelievable. Some nights I get to bed about midnight after my Fox Sports show then I’m up at 4am. It’s too much. I just need a break. You know when it’s time.”
Johns is under contract with Triple M until the end of 2019 but has asked for another, less demanding role.
His radio co-hosts Gus Worland, Emma Freedman and Chris Page will be looking for a new teammate from January.
The move comes almost a year after Mark Geyer quit the show and shifted to Triple M drivetime for more family-friendly hours. Geyer had been in more than 2000 shows as part of The Grill Team since it began in 2009.
Johns, the highest paid Triple M star, is considered most responsible for the breakfast show’s consistent ratings success.
Johns and his manager, old advertising guru John Singleton, have recently started negotiations with Fox Sports to renew his TV contract that is about to expire.
He has been a phenomenal success on the pay-TV network as the face of Fox League. Johns’ Thursday night show was so successful it forced Channel 9 to shut down The Footy Show after 25 years.
With a reach of just 30 per cent of Channel 9, Johns still regularly knocked off The Footy Show in the ratings.
Foxtel executives have made it a priority to sign Johns on a new, long-term deal.
With the rise of dedicated NRL channel Fox League, Johns has brought his The Grill Team colleagues Freedman and Page across to the Foxtel stable to also be a part of the coverage.