Concerns were raised for a popular sports presenter during a live TV broadcast from the Winter Olympics in Italy. Danika Mason, a seasoned reporter for Australia’s Channel Nine, appeared to be slurring her words while reporting live. The incident occurred on a chilly Wednesday morning (Australia time) as she updated viewers on the Games, where Australia snagged five medals, including three golds.
The broadcast took an unexpected turn when Mason, standing out in the frosty weather, started stumbling over her words and struggling to form coherent sentences. Host Karl Stefanovic jokingly compared her to a “frozen iguana.” Mason, seemingly unfazed, continued the segment with a quirky response about coffee prices and the unusual iguana reference, before pivoting back to sports updates.
Back in the studio, hosts Stefanovic and Jayne Azzopardi appeared both puzzled and amused by Mason’s rambling. As she playfully made snow angels later in her report, Stefanovic attributed her speech issues to the harsh cold, remarking that the bitter wind might be freezing her lips.
Viewers quickly took to social media, expressing their concern and suggesting that the presenter seemed “under the weather.” Stefanovic defended Mason, empathising with her situation: “The cold weather is a thing! I remember it from my days reporting in Washington DC.”
Danika Mason has been a familiar face on the Today Show since last year, after working on Channel Nine’s NRL coverage for several years. She’s also familiar to tennis fans from her work covering the Australian Open. Engaged to Hull FC rugby league player Liam Knight, Mason has become a well-loved personality in sports broadcasting.