Lisa Wilkinson has shared some very cryptic posts following reports her future in commercial television is uncertain.
The former Project host, 64, is said to have ‘torched’ her bridges at major networks Ten, Seven and Nine, with her most recent contract with Ten coming to an end later this month.
Now, the presenter has seemingly hinted at the recent reports as she shared some cryptic remarks about her career to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday.
She first posted a video in which a young girl on an old TV show spoke about why she wanted to buy a horse, with Wilkinson making a remark about being a ‘businesswoman’ in response.
‘What would you do if you found $100?’ the host of the series asked the young guest, to which she promptly replied she would buy a mare.
‘Why a girl horse?’ the host asked, and she said: ‘Because then you get more horses.’
Lisa Wilkinson, 64, (pictured) shared some cryptic posts to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, following reports her future in commercial television is uncertain
Wilkinson posted the video to her Stories with the caption: ‘Born to be a businesswoman.’
The media personality also shared a picture of a packet of Baci Perugina chocolate, putting a red circle around the inspirational quote printed on the back.
The quote read: ‘You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.’
Wilkinson said of the message: ‘Came for the chocolate… stayed for the wisdom!’
Her posts come TV insiders claimed Wilkinson will struggle to find more work in commercial TV when her contract with Ten draws to an end ahead of the New Year.
She hasn’t been on the network’s screens for more than two years, but remains on the payroll—for a reported $1.7million a year—until the end of this month.
The n claimed Wilkinson has ‘absolutely torched’ her bridges at three major networks—Ten, Nine and Seven.
The publication said it was ‘hard to see’ how Wilkinson could have ‘any kind of future in commercial television in ‘ following the disastrous recent years of her career.
The ex Project host is said to have ‘torched’ her bridges at major networks Ten, Seven and Nine, with her most recent contract with Ten coming to an end later this month
Now, the presenter has seemingly hinted at the recent reports as she shared some cryptic remarks about her career to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday
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Wilkinson allegedly burned her first bridge at Nine following her shock split from the network amid reports of a salary dispute.
The former Today breakfast show host announced her departure from the program in October 2017 to take an offer from a rival network as host on Ten’s The Project.
Wilkinson was said to be the glue that held the Today show together when Karl Stefanovic became ‘a turn off’ for female viewers’.
Wilkinson had seen ‘secret market research’ that showed she was the popular morning show’s biggest asset, media commentator Peter Ford told Kyle and Jackie O days after her sudden exit.
‘Karl had become… a bit of a turn off for women, and she was keeping it all together and was kind of carrying him,’ he said at the time.
Wilkinson quit after Channel Nine were allegedly unable to match her salary to that of co-star Karl, who was believed to be earning close to $3million a year at the time.
A report from The n published in 2016 claimed Stefanovic signed a contract worth up to $9 million over three years, depending on ratings.
The report also claimed Wilkinson’s contract was only worth $1.1million per year—just under a third of what Karl could earn.
The media personality also shared a picture of a packet of Baci Perugina chocolate, putting a red circle around the inspirational quote printed on the back, which spoke of ‘chaos’
Sources at Nine told The Daily Telegraph negotiations saw Wilkinson’s salary reach $1.8 million, but Wilkinson reportedly demanded $2million and rejected the $700,000 pay rise.
However, Wilkinson’s move to Ten seven years ago ended in tears in 2022 when she quit The Project, citing ‘the relentless, targeted toxicity by some sections of the media’.
In 2023, she sued Ten for more than $700,000 worth of legal fees after hiring defamation specialist Sue Chrysanthou SC to defend her in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case.
During the civil claim against the network, Wilkinson maintained she was not solely responsible for the Logies speech that derailed Lehrmann’s rape trial in 2022.
Ten and Wilkinson won the defamation case against Lehrmann after Justice Michael Lee found, on the balance of probabilities, the former Liberal staffer raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House.
Wilkinson also took aim at Seven in 2023 when she lodged an official complaint with the Spotlight program which ran an interview with Lehrmann.
The television host filed the complaints last June alleging Seven’s broadcast breached commercial television standards.
Earlier this year reports suggested that Wilkinson wants to make a return to TV screens following months of inaction and five tedious weeks spent in a courtroom.
The Channel Ten star and former darling of breakfast TV was keen to get back to delivering more ‘blockbuster interviews’ in the New Year, friends told the Weekend n.
Wilkinson quit The Project in November 2022 and despite remaining on the Ten payroll until the end of 2024, she hasn’t appeared on the channel for two years.