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Sky News AU
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
The Project: Ex host Lisa Wilkinson makes unexpected return to Ten's axed panel show during its final week
Lisa Wilkinson has made a brief return to The Project, appearing in a highlight reel aired during one of the final episodes of the axed current affairs program on Wednesday night. 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.
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I'm a specialist': Actor-comic Mary Coustas on finding positives from heartbreak
This story is part of the May 10 edition of Good Weekend. See all 14 stories. Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week, he talks to Mary Coustas. The Logie Award-winning actor, 60, is renowned for her alter-ego, Effie. She's the author of the memoir, All I Know, appears in the new season of Strife and stars in her solo stage show, This Is Personal. SEX Growing up, what were the attitudes towards sex in your Greek-Australian household? I don't know if we had too many conversations about sex, but my mum was very funny and had a take on things I'd never heard before. When I asked her, 'Why do these jokes about Greek shepherds keep coming up?' , she said to me [puts on thick Greek accent]: 'Well, in my day, the girls had to be virgins and there were no prostitutes in the village. A man tends to the animal because a man is an animal.' Wow. [ Laughs ] I didn't think she knew what was funny or appropriate. So, I'd say I've definitely got a comic filter on how I looked at sex growing up. Now, when I think of Effie, I also think of her raw, sexual confidence. But she was also a virgin until her wedding night. I like to think she'd have given half a hand-job [before she got married], but that was it. In my mind, she lost her virginity on her wedding night. In real life, you've been with your husband, George, for 21 years. What attracted you to him initially? In those days? Heat. I like to say, 'I'd only ever dated boys, then I met a man.' A man! Tell me more. He was in his early 40s; I was close to 40. I instinctively felt that he understood what life was really about. I'd already seen a lot: I was born into a household where my dad was dying – I knew that very young – so I wanted someone who knew what mattered. I also wanted to be with someone who'd help me evolve. I've got great ambition for the second half of my life, but often men still want the girl they met: 'Can't you just stay like that?' I wanted a grown-up. Effie's a bit of a gay icon. Is she arguably also a bit of a drag queen? [ Nods solemnly ] Under the wrong lighting and with the wrong make-up artist. DEATH
The Age
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘I'm a specialist': Actor-comic Mary Coustas on finding positives from heartbreak
This story is part of the May 10 edition of Good Weekend. See all 14 stories. Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week, he talks to Mary Coustas. The Logie Award-winning actor, 60, is renowned for her alter-ego, Effie. She's the author of the memoir, All I Know, appears in the new season of Strife and stars in her solo stage show, This Is Personal. SEX Growing up, what were the attitudes towards sex in your Greek-Australian household? I don't know if we had too many conversations about sex, but my mum was very funny and had a take on things I'd never heard before. When I asked her, 'Why do these jokes about Greek shepherds keep coming up?' , she said to me [puts on thick Greek accent]: 'Well, in my day, the girls had to be virgins and there were no prostitutes in the village. A man tends to the animal because a man is an animal.' Wow. [ Laughs ] I didn't think she knew what was funny or appropriate. So, I'd say I've definitely got a comic filter on how I looked at sex growing up. Now, when I think of Effie, I also think of her raw, sexual confidence. But she was also a virgin until her wedding night. I like to think she'd have given half a hand-job [before she got married], but that was it. In my mind, she lost her virginity on her wedding night. In real life, you've been with your husband, George, for 21 years. What attracted you to him initially? In those days? Heat. I like to say, 'I'd only ever dated boys, then I met a man.' A man! Tell me more. He was in his early 40s; I was close to 40. I instinctively felt that he understood what life was really about. I'd already seen a lot: I was born into a household where my dad was dying – I knew that very young – so I wanted someone who knew what mattered. I also wanted to be with someone who'd help me evolve. I've got great ambition for the second half of my life, but often men still want the girl they met: 'Can't you just stay like that?' I wanted a grown-up. Effie's a bit of a gay icon. Is she arguably also a bit of a drag queen? [ Nods solemnly ] Under the wrong lighting and with the wrong make-up artist. DEATH
