The Project: Ex host Lisa Wilkinson makes unexpected return to Ten's axed panel show during its final week
While she didn't appear in person, Wilkinson featured prominently in a special package celebrating some of the show's most memorable celebrity interviews.
Among them was a 2020 interview with British pop star Robbie Williams, where Wilkinson cheekily asked the singer if he had anything left on his bucket list.
His reply was censored, prompting Wilkinson to laugh and quip, "We can't use that."
The segment also included clips of Wilkinson's sit-downs with Celine Dion, who serenaded her with a rendition of John Farnham's You're The Voice, as well as Paris Hilton, comedy duo Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, and pop superstar Lady Gaga.
"You look very beautiful and like a strong, confident, amazing woman," Gaga told Wilkinson in the footage.
"I feel very conservative in this outfit sitting next to you," Wilkinson replied, to which Gaga joked: "That's because I have no pants on and I'm wearing a leather jacket."
Although none of Wednesday night's panellists, including Waleed Aly, Sam Taunton, Georgie Tunny, and Dave Thornton, explicitly acknowledged Wilkinson by name, they all praised the segment.
"Oh wow, what a package," Tunny said.
"That was a wonderful package put together."
Taunton added: "I loved that, that was so cool to see."
Wilkinson joined The Project in 2017 after a high-profile exit from Channel Nine, where she walked away from Today amid a gender pay gap dispute with co-host Karl Stefanovic.
Her time on The Project was marked by several significant moments, including her Logie Award-winning interview with former political staffer Brittany Higgins, who alleged she was raped in Parliament House in 2022.
That same interview formed the basis of Wilkinson's now-infamous Logies acceptance speech, during which she referenced the ongoing criminal case involving Bruce Lehrmann- ultimately prompting the ACT Supreme Court to delay the trial by three months.
Facing widespread backlash, Wilkinson stepped away from The Project later that year, citing "relentless, targeted toxicity" from sections of the media as a key factor in her departure.
Though no longer on air, the mother-of-three remained on Channel Ten's payroll until late 2024.
She was also embroiled in a legal battle with the network over legal expenses, which concluded earlier this year when Ten was ordered to pay her an additional $590,000, bringing the total to $1.15 million, to cover her legal costs in the Lehrmann defamation case.
Following the announcement that The Project would be axed, Wilkinson shared a heartfelt tribute to the program and its team on social media.
"Vale @theprojecttv," she wrote.
"So many talented people, so many laughs, so many incredibly important stories- many of which may have otherwise never been told.
"It was a joy and a privilege to be a part of it all."
The Project will air its final episode on Friday.
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