Lisa Wilkinson Appears on The Project After Controversial Exit

Lisa Wilkinson made a brief appearance on The Project as it aired one of its final episodes on Wednesday. 

While she did not appear in person on the live show, the former co-host of the axed series was seen briefly in a package of celebrity interviews filmed in earlier years. 

A clip showed Wilkinson interviewing British pop star Robbie Williams in 2020, where she asked him if there is anything he hasn’t tried yet that he’d like to. 

Robbie’s answer was bleeped, with Lisa laughing, ‘I can’t use that’. 

Lisa was not mentioned by the show’s panel but also appeared in further footage in the throwback segment, including a clip where she was shown interviewing singer Celine Dion. 

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Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) made a brief appearance on The Project as it aired one of its final episodes on Wednesday

While she did not appear in person on the live show, the former co-host of the axed series was seen briefly in a package of celebrity interviews filmed in earlier years

Lisa was not mentioned by the show’s panel but also appeared in further footage in the throwback segment, including a clip where she was shown interviewing Celine Dion (left)

Wilkinson had joined the network in 2018 after an infamous pay dispute at Nine when she discovered her Today co-host Karl Stefanovic was earning significantly more than her.

Everything was going well when she signed a new deal with Ten in 2021.

But just a year later, she stepped down as host of The Project – her sole on-air role – citing the toll of ‘relentless, targeted’ media coverage.

Wilkinson quit The Project in November 2022 and despite remaining on the Ten payroll until the end of 2024 she did not appear on air again.

Despite her lengthy hiatus from the network, Wilkinson has remained in the public eye through her role in a highly-publicised defamation trial.

She was embroiled in a case with Bruce Lehrmann who was suing Network 10 and Wilkinson over an interview with Brittany Higgins that was broadcast on The Project and online.

This week, Wilkinson broke her silence on the show’s shock cancellation.

The 65-year-old veteran presenter recently shared a precious gallery of throwback photos from her time on the program to social media.

This week, Wilkinson broke her silence on the show’s shock cancellation . The 65-year-old veteran presenter recently shared a precious gallery of throwback photos from her time on the program to social media. Pictured with the cast

One photo captured a beaming Lisa posing on the set alongside her former co-stars, including Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly and Peter Helliar.

Another showed Lisa having fun with several of the A-List guests who appeared on the program, including Magda Szubanski, Tommy Little and Backstreet Boys stars Brian Littrell and Nick Carter.

She captioned the gallery with some heartbreaking words.

‘Vale The Project. So many talented people, so many laughs, so many incredibly important stories – many of which may have otherwise never been told,’ Lisa began.

‘It was a joy and privilege to be a part of it all. My love to everyone, particularly the huge hard-working team behind the scenes. 

‘Along with the audience, you were the true heart and soul of the show.’

It comes after The Project was officially axed this week and will air its final episode on June 27.

Network 10 announced the news earlier this month, sharing a post to Facebook thanking viewers for their support before announcing the show’s replacement.

One photo captured a beaming Lisa posing on the set alongside her former co-stars, including Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly (pictured) 

Wilkinson quit The Project in November 2022 and despite remaining on the Ten payroll until the end of 2024 she did not appear on air again 

Hosts Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris and Hamish Macdonald will also reportedly exit the network, while comedian Sam Taunton will continue his guest appearances on other Ten shows.

The Project first aired in July 2009 and exceeded more than a million metro viewers at the height of its success – It boasted a rotating panel with stars like Aly, Harris, Tunny, Hamish Macdonald, Rove McManus, Taunton and Susie Youssef.

It won several accolades including 11 Logie Awards – two of which were viewer-voted Gold Logies won by Aly and Bickmore.

However, audiences began to dwindle in recent years and earlier this month, it attracted between 238,000 and 357,000 viewers nationally.