Lisa Wilkinson has weighed in on the swirling drama around her former Today Show co-host, Karl Stefanovic.
The 66-year-old television star shared a comedy video referencing the situation on Monday, after Karl, 51, left Channel Nine this week following controversy over his podcast interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
The video, posted to Instagram, featured comedian Henry Bretz mocking Stefanovic in a satirical impression of the TV host.
‘So I get fired for speaking my mind, but let me ask you this. Lisa Wilkinson, when she was going on and on about all that women s**t, was she fired?’ Bretz asked, while imitating Stefanovic’s voice.
‘She wasn’t. Makes me so angry. What’s going on here?’ he added.
Wilkinson endorsed the clip by adding her own caption, writing: ‘This is hilarious. The brilliant @henry__bretz.’
Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) has weighed in on the swirling drama around her former Today Show co-host, Karl Stefanovic
She then added a cutting reference to her own bitter exit from Channel Nine.
‘Hey, hang on, I WAS fired for going on with all that “women’s s**t”…’ Wilkinson wrote.
Stefanovic abruptly resigned from the network last week after his interview with far-right figure Tommy Robinson, which he uploaded to his podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show, to YouTube on Tuesday, only to delete it hours later after facing backlash.
In a statement to The Daily Mail, Channel Nine said that Stefanovic could not continue working at the network while also hosting his podcast.
The TV star, who has been a Nine stalwart for some 25 years, had six months and over $1 million left to be paid on his 12-month contract.
Stefanovic and Nine are believed to have agreed to an undisclosed six-figure settlement as part of his termination package.
Lisa worked alongside Karl on the Today Show for a decade, before her controversial departure in 2017 over a reported gender pay gap.
She was believed to have left Today because Karl, as her male co-host, was reportedly earning $2million a year with a potential bonus that could take his salary to $3million if ratings were a hit, The Australian reported at the time.
The 66-year-old television star shared a comedy video referencing the situation on Monday, after Karl, 51, left Channel Nine this week following controversy over his podcast interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Pictured with Karl in 2022
The video, posted to Instagram, featured comedian Henry Bretz mocking Stefanovic in a satirical impression of the TV host
Lisa was said to be on a $1.1million a year contract, with Nine only willing to increase the amount to $1.8million, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Wilkinson recalled feeling ‘humiliated’ when she was dismissed from Nine and the Today show in October 2017 over the reported gender pay gap dispute.
The star, who joined The Sunday Project in 2018 after leaving Today, fought back tears as she told The Sunday Project’s Hamish Macdonald how ‘pathetic’ she felt when told by her agent of her ousting.
When asked just how ‘big’ the pay gap was, Lisa hinted at it being quite significant and said she was ‘very expendable’.
Lisa revealed that she was told by her agent of her dismissal from Nine while standing ‘in aisle six at Woolies (sic) holding a can of tuna’.
‘I felt stupid and humiliated and betrayed… and pretty pathetic,’ she said, fighting back tears.
The former magazine editor revealed how Nine was unaware she was looking for employment elsewhere while the reported gender pay gap dispute was discussed.
‘No one knew I had this offer from Channel Ten. I think the idea was to humiliate me because I’d been in negotiations to try and close the gender pay gap,’ she said.
Lisa worked alongside Karl on the Today Show for a decade, before her controversial departure in 2017 over a reported gender pay gap. Pictured with Karl in 2014
When asked just how ‘big’ the pay gap was, Lisa hinted at it being quite significant.
‘Doesn’t get much bigger than the gap that I experienced. I was very expendable. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to the audience. I was told, “That’s it”.’
The journalist went on to admit that she’s ‘not really in touch’ with former co-host Karl.
However, earlier this year, Wilkinson returned after eight years away from the Today Show, appearing alongside Stefanovic and Sarah Abo for a one-off visit to promote her book, The Titanic Story of Evelyn.
