From Kath and Kim carving it up; Delta making a comeback; Kylie winning Gold and Bert Newton almost getting beaten up … we take a look at some of the most memorable Logies moments.
Muhammad Ali and Bert Newton clash (1979)
Bert Newton very nearly came to blows with world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali after the sporting icon mistook something the Aussie comedy legend said for a racist remark. A quick backpedal and some terse words later, the potential conflict was — thankfully — smoothed over by a rattled Newton.
Kylie wins Gold (1988)
With her ringlets bouncing and dressed in an uncharacteristically demure maroon frock, young soap starlet-turned-pop-wannabe Kylie Minogue took to the stage to accept her Gold Logie statuette. She was — and remains — the youngest person to take home the top gong, her portrayal of Ramsay Street favourite Charlene Robinson securing the win.
Kath and Kim carve up the dance floor (2004)
The Logies has hosted stacks of big-name performers over the years, but no one brought the house down quite like Kath and Kim (Jane Turner and Gina Riley), whose rendition of the ’70s classic Lady Bump had audiences in the room, and at home, in stitches. Their red carpet outfits over the years have also been iconic — we bow down.
Delta Goodrem’s post-cancer comeback (2004)
She’d been largely out of the public eye for 12 months due to treatment for her non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which made Goodrem’s return to the spotlight at the 2004 awards all the more touching. She attended the show with then-boyfriend Mark Philippoussis, who looked on as she did an impromptu dance with visiting crooner, Michael Buble.
Bec and Lleyton go matchy-matchy (2006)
It was big news when Gold Logie nominee — and new mum — Bec Hewitt took to the Logies podium with new hubby Lleyton Hewitt, with baby daughter Mia in tow. Bec, who had recently left Home and Away to raise a family with her tennis star hubbie, chose to dress her brood in matching outfits — and Aussie TV viewers collectively swooned at the cuteness of it all.
Joan Rivers says what we’re all thinking (2006)
The room was in stitches after visiting comedian Joan Rivers publicly said what we’d all been thinking when she pondered aloud what the heck she was doing at the Aussie awards ceremony. “I know you’re all famous, I know I’m sitting with important people but I don’t know who you are!” she quipped after being presented with a pink Logie.
One Direction cause a ruckus (2012)
It was bedlam on the red carpet the year boy band One Direction made an appearance at the awards, performing a live performance for their adoring fans. They stuck around to party alongside Aussie TV royalty, much to the delight of many of the assembled guests, who didn’t mind having their thunder stolen by a bunch of young boys.
Carrie raises millions for charity (2015)
Carrie Bickmore, who lost her first husband Greg Lange to brain cancer in 2010, used her Gold Logie acceptance speech to raise awareness for the disease. Clad in a beanie, she encouraged supporters to get behind fundraising efforts by weaning their own headwear — and the #beaniesforbraincancer phenomenon was born. $22 million raised … and counting.
Molly crashes Samuel Johnson’s Gold Logie speech (2017)
Things got awkward for viewers at home — and those assembled in the room — when music icon Molly Meldrum jumped on stage and interrupted Samuel Johnson’s Gold Logie acceptance speech. Ever the professional, Johnson took it in good grace, but it was a strange moment — especially as Johnson had played Meldrum that same year in a biopic for TV.
Tony Armstrong and Dylan Alcott represent (2023)
Tony Armstrong, the Sydney-raised Gaimaroi presenter, paid respect to his First Nations heritage by doing an Acknowledgement of Country before presenting an award alongside disabled tennis star and Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott. Alcott later praised their inclusion as presenters, saying, “Having an Indigenous man and a guy in a wheelchair up here, on commercial TV… we’ve got a long way to go, but it’s massive.”