But the TVNZ star admits his co-workers and those around him have put any concerns about his resignation at ease.
Speaking to the Herald ahead of his final day, McLean reveals that once he made his decision to leave the show after over 16 years, he had concerns about how it was going to be received by the public and his on-screen family.
“When I resigned from TVNZ, it was such a big deal for me,” he says, adding, “I did worry about how it might be received, how people would feel about it and whether they’d be mad or annoyed or think I was making a mistake.”
Fortunately for the 37-year-old host, the response has been anything but that, “Everyone has just been so loving and supportive and really excited for me, which makes it so much easier for me to be excited about this new chapter.”
His week long goodbye has shown just how supportive his Breakfast whānau have been. Making sure his last hurrah has been a good one, the show has put on the “Matty’s Eras Tour” - inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, seeing a short segment every day this week to “explore the many eras of “the one and only Matty McLean”.
It’s been really special for McLean who says, “Everyone has just made it very heartwarming for me to leave and to leave on a real high, I just feel like I couldn’t have asked for anything more in my exit of the show.”
Thankfully, he’s not leaving New Zealand broadcasting entirely and will instead be swapping TV for radio where he will join PJ Harding on the newly announced The Hits - Drive show.
“I’m so ready to have some fun,” he says, “And man, to be able to do that with PJ? She’s just such a legend, I love her so much. We did publicity photos last week and I just was in hysterics the whole time, she’s so funny, and so yeah, I’m really excited.”
As for how the host wants to be remembered for his time on Breakfast, McLean admits he has one simple wish:
“All I’ve ever wanted to do is to make people smile,” he adds, “there’s so many things going on in our world, right and life can be really heavy sometimes, and especially these last few years. It’s just felt like everything is against us sometimes so I just hope that I’ve been able to put smiles on people’s faces.
“Does that sound cheesy?” he chuckles, “I hope it doesn’t sound cheesy.”
And that vibrant personality will be noticeably absent from the Breakfast studio next year, so he’s making sure to go out with a bang; “I’ve perhaps stupidly said that I would host the breakfast wrap party at my house. So apologies to my neighbours already,” he laughs.
Since his TVNZ debut in 2007 McLean has worked as a reporter, presenter, and weatherman and even did a couple stints on Celebrity Treasure Island, Seven Sharp and of course, his most well-known and loved role as a Breakfast co-host.
Here is the full Matty’s Eras Tour setlist:
Monday
The first era was introduced by Clarkson as the “young guns”. Joining McLean on the Breakfast couch was Q+A’s Jack Tame who started things off with a bit of a joke, “Can I just say, only Matty would get a farewell tour,” Tame laughed. “In 30 years of Breakfast, only Matty gets a farewell tour.”
The two friends then “turned back the hands of time” to 2007 which was the host’s first ever live cross, “It was a simpler time and the standards for getting on television were much, much lower,” Tame jokingly said before showing McLean covering David Beckham’s arrival in New Zealand to play for LA Galaxy against the Wellington Phoenix.
Following instruction from the then Breakfast host, Paul Henry, McLean began singing Victoria by the Dance Exponents as a nod to the footballer’s wife going down as one of McLean’s most memorable moments.
Tame also reflected on the time his friend jumped the fence of the Prime Minister’s official residence in Wellington - again, following the instruction of Henry and McLean admitted to Tame, “I just didn’t really think about the repercussions.”
Tuesday
The second segment of McLean’s era’s tour saw him joined by Seven Sharp host Hilary Barry, who brought laughs, tears and many hugs. Walking on set, the star gave McLean a huge hug confessing, “I can’t believe you’re going.”
Barry looked back on McLean’s weather debut - more specifically the “couple of mistakes” it included. Laughing, McLean said “Do you know the funny thing? I didn’t even get any better than that.”
Barry praised his professionalism and dubbed him the “master of covering a mistake”.
Barry looked back on a few more moments before telling her friend, “We know you’re going to be fabulous at what you’re going to next,” she said before pulling him in for a hug, “I have to snuggle up for hugs.”
Wednesday
For the third instalment of Matty’s Eras Tour, Breakfast invited TVNZ chief correspondent John Campbell onto the show where he asked McLean to read out a message he wrote when Campbell departed the show, “Dear John, you were always my favourite co-presenter” earning a hearty laugh from the pair.
McLean admitted he was “overwhelmed” by the attention of the Eras tour, Campbell called his former co-host out, stating “You love it!” before revisiting his favourite moments including the time McLean nearly interviewed the entire Waimate population at once.
“This is exactly what it was like when Matty was in the field,” Campbell explained to viewers. “The town had turned out to see you,” adding, “They were so chuffed you were there ... People were always so delighted to see you.”
They also looked back on McLean’s reunion with his family following the Covid lockdowns and finally, an interview in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year before hugging it out.
Thursday
McLean was joined by his Breakfast co-hosts Anna Burn-Francis, Chris Chang and Clarkson on Thursday with Chang joking, “We couldn’t find anyone else to come,” while Burn-Francis added, “We’re the final pull bearers for Matty’s journey to the purgatory of radio.”
Despite their giggles, the three co-hosts came together to share their favourite memories of the media personality with Chang reading out messages from Breakfast’s behind-the-scenes staff, while Burns-Francis fondly praised her departing co-host for bringing a “radiant, gorgeous, beautiful mood every single day”.
“We connected straight away,” said Clarkson through tears, adding, “but our connection grew even more when we sat on this couch together during Covid times as co-presenters.”
She shared a clip of their viral TikTok dances before telling McLean “I’m going to miss you my friend,” adding, “I’ve seen you grow so much in the last couple of years and I’m so so proud of you and I’m going to miss you terribly and that’s all I can say because otherwise I’m just going to cry through this whole thing.”
By Lillie Rohan
