Journalist Apologizes For ‘Drinking’ After Slurred Speech During Broadcast
Having one adult drink happens a lot to us … but not all of us have to go to the TV anytime soon.
Australian TV reporter Danika Mason apologized on Thursday, February 19, for the 2026 Winter Olympics broadcast after it went viral the day before when he began slurring his speech and talking nonsense in a previous broadcast.
“I want to take a moment, if that’s okay, I’m sorry,” Mason said. “Look, I failed miserably. I shouldn’t have been drinking, especially in these conditions. It’s cold, we’re high, and not having dinner probably didn’t help.”
He continued, “I want to fully commit. It’s not a standard I set for myself. So when I say that, I’m really sorry and I thank everyone for those messages that I received as well.”
Mason, who is covering the Games on Channel Nine’s Today programme, went viral after he said something out of the ordinary during a live broadcast, appearing to slur his words.
“Actually, the price of coffee here is actually good,” he said. “It’s the price of coffee in the US that we’re going to have to get used to. I’m not sure where I’m going. Where are we going with that? But, of course.”
While Mason continued his speech, the studio manager Karl Stefanovic he couldn’t help but laugh at the painful situation.
His studio tried to deflect the comments, telling viewers that “cold weather” can sometimes affect how people talk, and then defended Mason after his apology, calling him “the best” on the show.
Danika Mason
Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images“Danika, don’t worry about it,” said Stefanovic after his apology. “Let’s continue. You are a legend. Thank you, Danika, talk soon.”
Host Jayne Azzopardi also supported Mason, saying she knows “how hard you work, Danika.”
Mason even got the support of the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanesewho discussed the virus situation on Melbourne’s Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren radio.
“I’m Danika. I’m beautiful,” said Albanese, per news.com.au. “He’s in Italy… and he’d be tired. The time difference. It would have had an effect.”
The president of the International Olympic Committee is sending love to Savannah Guthrie, who withdrew from organizing the 2026 Winter Olympics amid the search for her mother, Nancy Guthrie. “I want to say that our hearts and all our thoughts and prayers are with Savannah,” Kristy Coventry said at the time […]
On an Australian talk show Kenny’s reporta reporter Tim Blair he jokingly said he was taking notes on Mason’s gaffe, in case he found himself in the same situation in the future.
“All of us who are watching and all of us who are involved in this should take a policy in the future whenever we find ourselves in a situation like this, maybe we come home late from an event, we just say, ‘I don’t know what’s going on,'” Blair told the broadcaster. Chris Kenny. “Sounds like it’s going to work for me.”
Sky News host James Macpherson He returned to his show on Sky News Australia later on Wednesday, dismissing the dangerous moment and calling it “exciting.”
“I think a lot of people watched it, they laughed – I watched it three times because I thought it was funny – and we all move on,” Macpherson said. “What a girl.”
