Federal documents released on Friday last week have shed light on several demands Lisa Wilkinson’s agents made to Network 10 after she was dropped from The Project.
Amongst those listed was a request to host the coverage of King Charles’ Coronation and also scope to interview A-list celebrities such as Michelle Obama.
Details of the negotiations have been revealed following Wilkinson’s major win in her bid to get Network 10 to pay her legal fees regarding Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial.
The former Project Host chose a different legal team than the one employed by Network 10 to defend the defamation case brought about by Lehrmann who was suing both following an interview with Brittany Higgins aired on The Project in 2021.
The fees were initially around the $700,000 mark before the trial started, however, they are now considered to be significantly more.
The court documents reveal the email exchange that took place between Wilkinson’s agent Nick Fordham and Paramount ANZ CEO Beverley McGarvey.
“This is disappointing but we accept the decision Network Ten has made on this,” Fordham wrote in November 2022 after Wilkinson’s removal from The Project.
In response to a proposed interview series Network 10 had suggested, Fordham went on to list Wilkinson’s expectations if they were to go ahead.
“With that in mind, we would only agree to this proposed interview series with firm commitments: a high level of production, a dedicated and qualified senior executive producer and a clear understanding of what is involved and the level of promotion it would receive.”
“Regarding the proposed talent for the interview series, again as you suggested, the calibre of interviewees would need to be the likes of Michelle Obama, world leaders, and A + list celebrities. Lisa’s contract is for work on The Project, and to soften the very real blow this change will have on Lisa’s standing.”
In another exchange, Fordham said Wilkinson had felt “abandoned” by the network.
“The fallout from the Higgins trial has been distressing and unnecessarily enduring. Lisa has felt all but abandoned on multiple occasions when, as you know, she was simply performing her employment duties to The Project and Network Ten – always to the highest professional standard,” he wrote.
“As you have acknowledged, everything Lisa has done, at every stage, was signed off and encouraged by The Project, Network Ten, and Network Ten’s legal team. “And right now, Lisa is the only one who is publicly paying the price.”
A spokesperson for Network 10 confirmed Wilkinson is still employed by the network.
