June 18, 2026 — 8:37amVeteran broadcaster Virginia Trioli will bid farewell to the ABC after more than two decades to pursue creative ventures.“After spending the last few years in the company of some of Australia’s most distinctive creatives, I realise I’m a bit of a creative type too, and so it’s time for me to independently pursue my own ideas,” the founding Breakfast show host said in a statement released by the ABC.Virginia Triolo has announced her departure from the ABC.GK Photography“I have been able to take up some of the greatest opportunities that the ABC has to offer over the last 27 years, and I’m staggered at my good fortune. It’s made me the journalist, broadcaster, writer and program maker that I am. Grateful doesn’t begin to cover it. In return, I hope to have some new ideas for the national broadcaster down the track.”Trioli joined the public broadcaster in 1999 after working as a journalist for The Age and The Bulletin magazine. She hosted Drive on ABC radio Melbourne, and then Mornings on ABC Radio Sydney. She later presented Lateline, hosted Q&A and 7.30, as well as regularly contributing to Insiders and Sunday Arts. Her Weekend Reads have been a popular Saturday morning column since 2019.The ABC’s managing director, Hugh Marks, said Trioli had been at the heart of some of the ABC’s most important programs and conversations.“Her achievements are many. I also know Virginia has ambitions to explore new work opportunities and I hope we can work together to realise them in the coming years. I will be watching her every success with enthusiasm, and I hope much of it is with the ABC,” Marks said.More to come.Kayla Olaya is a culture reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners