Radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands has offered a theory to explain Channel Seven presenter Matt Doran's disappearance on Tuesday.
Seven Network had sent the Weekend Sunrise co-host to the Hunter Valley to cover the horror bus crash that claimed the lives of 10 wedding guests in the small town of Greta over the long weekend.
However the star reporter failed to show up for his spot on Sunrise on Tuesday morning, sparking a police search that eventually ended with him being found.
Discussing the incident on Wednesday's Kyle And Jackie O Show, Sandilands theorised that Doran was upset that he wasn't chosen to replace David 'Kochie' Koch as the new co-host of Seven's Sunrise.
Former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington instead won the coveted role and officially replaced Kochie on Monday - the same day Doran was sent to the Hunter Valley.
Radio shock-jock Kyle Sandilands (left) has offered a theory to explain Channel Seven presenter Matt Doran's (right) disappearance on Tuesday
'He's still dirty that Shirvo got the big Kochie job. Because [Doran is] the Weekend Sunrise guy, so you would have thought he'd have been in the running for Kochie's job,' Sandilands speculated.
'But no, not after the Adele fiasco,' he added, referring to Doran's disastrous interview with British Grammy-award singer Adele in November 2021.
Insiders saying Doran's producer went to find him at his Singleton hotel - only for knocks on his room door to go unanswered.
Discussing the incident on Wednesday's Kyle And Jackie O Show, Sandilands theorised that Doran was upset that he wasn't chosen to replace David 'Kochie' Koch as the new co-host of Seven's Sunrise. (Doran is pictured filling in on for Kochie on Sunrise with Natalie Barr)
Former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington (pictured) instead won the coveted role and officially replaced Kochie on Monday - the same day Doran was sent to the Hunter Valley
Worried colleagues subsequently contacted police, who issued a missing persons alert across the region.
'Earlier today officers from Port Stephens Hunter Police District received a concern for welfare report for a 40-year-old man,' NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia.
'Officers conducted inquiries and located a man a short time later. There is no further police action.'
Channel Seven reporter Matt Doran is pictured with his wife Kendall Bora
A Channel Seven insider told Daily Mail Australia Doran's wife, Kendall Bora, an executive producer for Channel Nine's Today show, abruptly left work to head to the area to search for her husband.
'Matt Doran didn't show for work today. That's a fact,' a source told Daily Mail Australia.
News reporter Liam Tapper appeared live on air from Cessnock on Sunrise on Tuesday morning. It remains unclear if he was already scheduled for that time slot or whether he was acting as Doran's replacement.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Seven for comment.
Doran is pictured reporting on the Hunter Valley bus crash tragedy on Monday
Meanwhile, Doran had drawn some negative feedback from viewers on Monday about his reporting on the bus tragedy.
Critics branded his approach to covering the story as 'sensationalist' after he questioned the culpability of the driver involved in the crash even though police had not determined whether they were responsible.
One social media critic slammed Doran for using the term 'obliterated' to refer to the deaths of 10 wedding guests, saying it was 'disrespectful' to the families of the deceased.
The incident comes just weeks after Doran listed his lavish two-bedroom Bellevue Hill apartment, in Sydney's ritzy eastern suburbs, for sale.
The home is set to be auctioned by BresicWhitney on June 24 with a price guide of $1.8million.
Doran, who started his career as a police reporter at the Herald Sun, joined the Seven network in 2017 after spending almost eight years in Network Ten's newsroom.
Two years later, he was promoted to his current role as co-host of Weekend Sunrise - alongside Monique Wright - after intermittently filling in for Koch.
News reporter Liam Tapper appeared live on air from Cessnock on Sunrise on Tuesday morning
During his time at the broadcaster, Doran has not been a stranger to controversy - having infamously made global headlines after a disastrous interview with Adele in November 2021.
The journalist had been dispatched to London with a Seven crew for an exclusive interview with the Hello hitmaker as part of a promo for the release of her highly-anticipated new album, 30.
However, Adele became offended after Doran admitted that he had not listened to the album prior to the interview - resulting in the $1million deal being torn up.
At the time, it was reported Doran had been suspended by the network for two weeks over the incident - however, he later claimed there was no formal suspension and he just took a week off.
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