Tinhlm.AU – Why now? Tim Davies reveals the reason behind his unexpected Today departure

After more than seven years, more than 900 flights and countless mornings spent bringing Australia its weather forecast, Tim Davies has decided it is time to step away from Today.

For a presenter who has spent years saying yes to almost every adventure thrown his way, his decision to leave the Nine breakfast program has come as an emotional surprise to many viewers.

But there is a quieter reason behind the timing — and it has little to do with simply wanting a new television role.

“The really hard decision” behind his exit

Davies announced his departure live on Today, revealing that his final forecast will be delivered on Friday, September 18, 2026.

Speaking from the Gold Coast, the 42-year-old said he had made the “really hard decision” to finish his time on the program “on a high” and step back from the role.

It was an emotional farewell for someone who had become one of the most recognisable faces of the breakfast show.

“I’ve been so lucky,” Davies told viewers, reflecting on the people, places and experiences the job had given him.

And while his departure comes during a period of considerable change for Today, Davies has not suggested that the wider reshuffle at Nine was the reason for his decision.

Instead, his explanation was much more personal.

Seven years of living out of a suitcase

Since joining Today in 2019, Davies has spent much of his working life on the move.

Nine says he has clocked up more than 900 flights, travelling across Australia and internationally to deliver weather crosses and introduce viewers to communities, local heroes and remarkable Australians.

The job also took him far beyond a traditional weather desk.

He skydived, bungee jumped, abseiled, swam with sharks and crocodiles, raced performance vehicles and even performed acrobatics live on television.

But behind all those memorable television moments was a lifestyle that demanded constant movement.

Nine’s Director of Morning Television, Steven Burling, summed it up simply, saying Davies had spent seven years “living out of a suitcase”.

Now, the network says, he wants to “lay down some roots”.

That detail perhaps explains the timing better than anything else.

The job he once could hardly believe was his

Davies’ decision is particularly poignant because he has never hidden how much the role meant to him.

Before joining Today, he had spent 12 years at Nine, working in the Sydney newsroom and reporting on courts and crime.

The move into breakfast television gave him an entirely different way of telling stories.

Instead of focusing largely on some of the darkest moments of society, he found himself travelling around the country to showcase communities, local organisations and Australians doing extraordinary things.

Reflecting on that transformation, Davies said the role had been an “absolute light” and described it as a privilege.

“This job has made me the proudest Australian,” he said during his farewell.

That is what makes his departure feel less like a rejection of the show — and more like the closing of a chapter he knows he has been fortunate to have.

“People always tell me I’ve got the best job in TV”

Even as he announced the end of his Today chapter, Davies was clear about how much he had loved the work.

“People always tell me I’ve got the best job in TV and they’re not wrong,” he said.

For seven years, he had the opportunity to travel to new destinations, work alongside some of Australia’s best broadcasters and meet people he otherwise may never have crossed paths with.

Not every journalist gets the chance to deliver good news, good humour and a smile with every story.

For Davies, that became the defining feature of his time on Today.

And perhaps that is why he has chosen to leave now — while he can still look back on the experience with gratitude rather than waiting until the job becomes something he no longer wants to do.

A different kind of next chapter

Davies has not announced what comes next.

For now, he says he wants to step back, enjoy a sleep-in, take a break without a camera crew and prepare for his “next adventure”.

It is a striking change of pace for someone whose career on Today has been built around early mornings, airports, live crosses and constant movement.

Nine has confirmed that an announcement about his replacement will be made soon.

But the more immediate question is what Davies wants for himself after seven years of being everywhere.

His answer appears surprisingly simple: a little more time to stop.

The goodbye that says more than it seems

There was sadness in the Today studio when Davies made the announcement.

Richard Wilkins told him his words were beautiful, but admitted the team was not happy to see him go.

Samantha Armytage praised Davies as a “shining light” of fun and generosity, while Nine described him as a much-loved member of the Today family who leaves “enormous shoes to fill”.

For viewers, his departure will mean the end of a familiar ritual — waking up to see where in Australia Tim Davies had landed that morning.

But for Davies, perhaps the most important destination now is one he has spent seven years moving away from:

home.

After more than 900 flights, he is finally choosing to stop living out of a suitcase.

And for someone who insists he has had the time of his life, walking away may not be about wanting something better.

It may simply be about knowing when the right time has arrived to begin something different.