Who is Darren Wick? Channel Nine's news director reportedly resigns from network, saying he is "tired"

Darren Wick, the director of news and current affairs at Nine Network in Australia, reportedly emailed his resignation on Friday, March 15, after a brief leave of absence since January. The journalist, who has been with Nine Network for the past 23 years and was promoted to news and current affairs director 13 years ago in 2012, reportedly claimed that he was "tired" and needed "a rest" in his email.

Rumors of him being let go have been swirling around Channel 9 since he took time off in January. Nine Network denied the allegations till the very end, until a staff announcement on Friday afternoon.

---

Darren Wick oversaw all of Channel 9's news output

Darren Wick oversaw all of Channel 9's news output, including A Current Affair, 60 Minutes, Today, Today Extra and Weekend Today. Before becoming news director, he was the executive producer on A Current Affair and Today Show.

According to Nine's website, he began his career as a journalist on The Daily Mirror. He then worked on television news and current affairs at Worldwide Television News in the UK. Internal rumors following his leave of absence caused speculation that Darren Wick's leadership was allegedly challenged in 2023, which led to his position being under review.

In 2020, Darren Wick was involved in a DUI accident after he was convicted of drunk driving more than four times the legal limit following a work function. He was reportedly sentenced to a 9-month corrections order and was also ordered to take up 100 hours of community service.

“I’m in a position where I do know better and I should have known better,” Wick said outside court following the ruling.

He added:

"But it comes down to I let an addiction to alcohol get out of control. I didn’t respect it for what it was. I made a terrible mistake where I could have harmed others.”

---

Darren Wick reportedly announced his resignation via email

In an email obtained by TV Blackbox, Darren Wick claimed that he was "stepping down as the National Director of News and Current Affairs and leaving NINE." He reportedly wrote that it was a "privilege" to work alongside his colleagues, calling them "talented, inspirational and supportive people."

"Some of you are aware that I have taken a few weeks off to think about my future. And after many long beach walks and even longer conversations, I know in my heart that this is the right time for me to step down and leave NINE," he continued.

He also claimed that he didn’t want to use the word “retiring” but that he would be taking a long break after four decades of working as a journalist. He reportedly ended the resignation email with “I genuinely do LOVE YOUSE ALL” and signed off as “Wickie.”

According to TV Blackbox, Michael Healey, Nine’s programming boss, also sent a staff email in response to Wick’s email. He reportedly confirmed Wick's resignation and thanked him for “his commitment to the Nine News brand.” He also claimed to keep the staff in the loop about Darren Wick’s replacement and wished him well.