Lots of people thought there were more deserving Gold Logie recipients than Waleed Aly – himself included.
Standing to accept Australian TV’s highest honour, Waleed expressed his regret that it wasn’t being awarded to his beloved wife, Susan Carland.
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“The reality is – a dirty little secret I’ve carried around for a long time – if she had my job, she’d be better at it than me,” he said. “She is sharper, she is wittier, she is funnier, she is infinitely more charming and likeable.
“She has bigger and more important things to do. Everyone who knows her knows she changes you, she makes you better. They don’t give statuettes to people like that, sadly. But one day, if life’s fair, they might just give her a statue.”
Waleed received a torrent of negative comments when his Gold Logie nomination was announced, with people questioning everything from his professional credentials to his skin colour and religion.
Waleed responded to this criticism in the first part of his speech last night, saying: “Do not adjust your sets. There’s nothing wrong with the picture. If you are in the room I’m sure there’s an Instagram filter to return things to normal. It will be fine. This is happening.”
Happily, the prevailing sentiments on social media last night were happy, with dozens of celebrities and ordinary Australians congratulating The Project host on his big win.