Australian television presenter
Lisa Clare Wilkinson AM is an Australian television presenter, journalist, and magazine editor. Wilkinson has previously co-hosted the Nine Network's breakfast television program, Today, with Karl Stefanovic (2007–2017), Weekend Sunrise on the Seven Network (2005–2007), and The Project on Network Ten (2018–2022).[1][2] As of 2020[update] she narrates Ambulance Australia,[3]
Career
Magazines
Dolly
Wilkinson was born in Wollongong,[4] but grew up in Campbelltown, in Sydney's Western Suburbs and attended Campbelltown High School (now Campbelltown Performing Arts High School).[5] She began her career working for the magazine Dolly.[6] At age 21,[6] she was offered the job as its editor.[5] During her time there she became known for discovering young female talent, including a then-unknown Nicole Kidman.[7]
Cleo
After tripling the circulation at Dolly, she was personally approached by Kerry Packer to become editor of Australian Consolidated Press women's lifestyle magazine, Cleo.[8] One of her first acts was to remove the magazine's infamous male centrefold.[9] During her time as editor, she mentored up and coming journalists such as Mia Freedman and Deborah Thomas.[10][11]
Over ten years Wilkinson became the title's longest-serving editor, and during her tenure there was unprecedented circulation growth for the magazine. Wilkinson went on to become Cleo's International Editor-in-Chief as it opened titles in New Zealand and Asia.[12]
Australian Women's Weekly
From 1999 to 2007, Wilkinson was Editor-at-large of The Australian Women's Weekly.[13]
Huffington Post
In August 2015 Wilkinson was asked by Arianna Huffington to become the Australian Editor-at-large of The Huffington Post, a role she held until 2018.[14][15] [16]
Television
Wilkinson's television career began in the late 1990s when she became a regular panelist on Network Ten and Foxtel's Beauty and the Beast. During the 2000 Summer Olympics, she (along with Duncan Armstrong) co-hosted The Morning Shift on the Seven Network.[17]
Weekend Sunrise
In April 2005, Wilkinson began hosting Weekend Sunrise on the Seven Network with Chris Reason, and later with Andrew O'Keefe.[18]
Today
On 10 May 2007, it was confirmed that Wilkinson was to co-host Today on the Nine Network after Jessica Rowe left the network and she began appearing on Today on 28 May 2007.[19] This was Stefanovic's fifth female co-host in just over two years.[20] In 2016, the duo took the show to number one in the breakfast TV wars for the first time in 12 years.[21]
On 16 October 2017, Wilkinson resigned from the Nine Network and Today due to a contract dispute with nine management over the significant gender pay gap that existed between her and long-time cohost Karl Stefanovic.[22] after ten years with the network, effective immediately.[23]
Wilkinson herself announced she was leaving on Twitter and then just over an hour later announced on Twitter that she was joining Channel Ten.[24]
In her 2021 memoir, It Wasn't Meant to Be Like This, Wilkinson revealed that she had been sacked over her request for a fairer pay structure at the Network.[25]
The Project
In 2018, she joined The Project, a nightly TV current affairs programme on Network 10.[26] On November 20, 2022 Wilkinson "stepped down from her role on The Project after a controversial year on the program."[27][28][29]
Carols by Candlelight
From 2008 to 2016, Wilkinson was the co-host of the Nine Network's Carols by Candlelight, replacing long time host Ray Martin when Martin semi-retired. Wilkinson's co-host from 2008 until 2012 was Karl Stefanovic, and in 2013 she was joined by David Campbell.[30][31] She was replaced by Sonia Kruger in 2017 after she left the Nine Network.[32]
Other
In 2013, Wilkinson gave the Andrew Olle Media Lecture on the treatment of women in and by the media.[33] She was the first female journalist to give the speech since Jana Wendt in 1997.[34]
In 2017, Wilkinson was remarked on by The Daily Mail for wearing on air a blouse she had worn four months before.[35] Her cohost, Karl Stefanovic, had previously worn the same suit every day for a year without attracting notice.[35] Wilkinson posted a tweet criticizing the sexism and wore the blouse on air the next day, sardonically writing "my greatest legacy to the annals of female news broadcasting history will likely be that I dared to wear the same outfit two days in a row on national TV".[35][36] Other male and female Today Show hosts also wore the blouse on air in following days.[35][37]
In October 2021, Wilkinson was for the second time named a finalist in the Walkley Awards, for her interview with political staffer Brittany Higgins[38] in which she alleged being raped on Federal Government Minister Linda Reynold's office couch in 2019.[39] That story led to a full cultural review by Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, into the workplace treatment of women in Parliament House.[40]
Personal life
Wilkinson married author, journalist and former rugby international Peter FitzSimons on 26 September 1992;[41] they have two sons and one daughter.[42][43][44]
She published her autobiography in 2021: It Wasn't Meant to Be Like This, HarperCollins, ISBN 9781460704455, 496 pages.[45]
There was a second print run of the book.[46]
Honours
Wilkinson was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2016 Australia Day Honours list for significant service to the print and broadcast media as a journalist and presenter, and to a range of youth and women's health groups.[47]
In 2017, Wilkinson's portrait by artist Peter Smeeth was a finalist in the Archibald Prize, and winner of the Packing Room Prize.[48][49]
In 2022, Wilkinson was part of The Project team that won 2 Logie Awards - one for Most Popular Panel or Current Affairs Program and one for Most Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs Report.[50]
Controversy
On receiving an award at the nationally televised 62nd Annual Logie Awards, Wilkinson "gave a speech in which she openly referred to and praised" the complainant in a sexual assault matter, despite "clear and appropriate" warning of the associated risks of doing so while criminal court proceedings were afoot.[51]
The subsequent publicity generated from Wilkinson's speech caused lawyers for the man awaiting trial in this matter to lodge an application to temporarily stay proceedings.[52] On 21 June 2022, lawyers for the accused argued that Wilkinson's "speech did not need to be made" and the ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum granted the man's application.[53]
Commenting on Wilkinson's speech, Chief Justice McCallum said, “What concerns me most about this recent round is that the distinction between an allegation and a finding of guilt has been completely obliterated”.[54] Her Honour further stated that, “The implicit premise of [Wilkinson's speech was] to celebrate the truthfulness of the story she exposed” before any finding of guilt, and in the context of the accused denying that “any sexual activity took place”.[53] The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that "the prosecution is considering making an application for a restraint on commentary by Ms Wilkinson".[55]
As a subsequent independent inquiry investigating the prosecution of Lehrmann, ACT Prosecutor Shane Drumgold admitted he “misread the situation” in a meeting with Lisa Wilkinson discussing her acceptance speech for a Logie award[56] and that he subsequently misled the judge about Wilkinson's Logies speech.[57]
In 2023, Bruce Lehrmann launched a defamation suit against Wilkinson, Samantha Maiden, Network 10, and News Corp and subsequently the ABC.[58]
In May 2023, Lehrmann dropped his defamation case against News Corp and Samantha Maiden, but not Wilkinson, the Ten Network or the ABC.[59] Wilkinson subsequently commenced legal action against her employer, Network 10, over alleged failure of the Network to pay her legal fees of $700,000. [60]
