A rival TV host has slammed Lisa Wilkinson for being ‘out of touch with reality’ after she made a ‘dramatic’ exit from the project.
Wilkinson revealed she would be departing Channel Ten’s current affairs program on Sunday night, saying ‘targeted toxicity’ from sections of the media was behind her exit.
Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) announced her shock exit from The Project on Sunday. It comes as Peter Helliar and Carrie Bickmore also announced their resignations from the program
But right-wing commentator Rita Panahi decided to sink the boot into Wilkinson once again, topping her resignation speech.
“Typical announcement from Lisa Wilkinson, full of drama and self-pity,” she said.
Panahi bid farewell to Wilkinson on The Project, where the TV host said: ‘The last six months haven’t been easy.’
Right-wing political commentator Rita Panahi (pictured) criticized the TV host for pointing out all his ‘mistakes’ in a Sky News segment
3AW entertainment reporter Peter Ford (pictured) slammed Wilkinson for her overly dramatic resignation speech on the current affairs show
‘And the constant targeted toxicity by certain sections of the media has affected not only me, but the people I love… I don’t always get it right. But by God, I’ve tried.
He then played audio of entertainment reporter Peter Ford brutally mocking his departure speech.
‘Lisa, love, you’re not working in the salt mines for Siberia, it’s three hours a week on television. Somebody provides your costume, somebody does your makeup, your script is written for you,’ he said on Melbourne radio station 3AW.
This cut back to Panahi, who replied: ‘That was entertainment reporter Peter Ford giving Lisa Wilkinson a much needed dose of reality.’
Panahi outlines Wilkinson’s many ‘stuff ups’ throughout his years in the media.
It started with the TV host delaying the test because of his Logie’s acceptance speech.
Wilkinson claimed ‘targeted toxicity’ from sections of the media was behind his departure
Stefanovic co-hosted the Today Show with Wilkinson for ten years until 2017. She alleged that he ill-treated her after they returned from their honeymoon.
The original trial date was set for June 27, but after Wilkinson’s acceptance speech to Logie, a judge delayed the high-profile case, ruling that it would be ‘inappropriate’ to continue because of the public comment surrounding the case.
Panahi then spoke about an apology from former Coalition MP for Wilkinson, Dr Andrew Lamming, for accusing him of taking an inappropriate photograph of a woman.
He apologized to Dr Lamming in June of this year for making the controversial tweet, which he wrote back in March 2021.
Panahi clarified, “Just to clarify, it only took her 16 months to admit that she was wrong.”
The Sky News host then turned to Wilkinson’s memoir, where she alleged that her former Today Show co-host Karl Stefanovic treated her poorly after they returned from their honeymoon.
He wrote in his book: ‘How can he still treat me with such casual disregard?’
‘For two hours I sat there feeling completely useless. The Today Show was now The Carl Show.’
‘What was the point of me being there? The camera was on top of me so there was nowhere to hide. And yet, I felt completely invisible.’
Panahi showed footage of the day she was referring to in that instance, where Stefanovic is seen warmly greeting his co-host and asking about his honeymoon.
Finally, the right-wing host criticized Wilkinson for scolding former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian for not enforcing a harsher lockdown and Covid restrictions during the pandemic.
Wilkinson also praised Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews for ‘sealing’ the Covid outbreak with a harsh lockdown.
Panahi replied, “That would be Victoria, where more than half a million people endured the world’s longest lockdown and where the state government managed to record the highest Covid death rate in the country.”
He joked, ‘You caught it right there, Lisa.’
In 2018, Wilkinson was signed by Ten for $1.7 million per year.
