The paparazzi behind the now infamous Lisa Wilkinson’ drinking alone’ photos has published an open letter calling out Wilkinson for calling him “creepy!”
The paparazzi has only revealed his first name to be Steve, which is very mysterious! However, unmysteriously he published an open letter in Michael Smith News, in response to Wilkinson’s version of events.
He wrote, “Let me introduce myself, I’m Steve and I’m the ‘creepy old man’ who photographed you sipping margaritas during a quiet dinner alone the other day in Melbourne. Who would have thought ‘that’ would turn into ‘this’?
“Let’s deal with the ‘creepy old man’ reference first. I’m actually 10 years younger than you are, so, Lisa, what does that make you? An ‘old old woman’? Of course not, and shame on anyone who refers to you like that because it’s degrading, sexist and downright offensive.”
Steve then jumped into questioning Wilkinson’s version of events, offering his own version.
Steve wrote, “You claim you were aware of a guy. ‘He was incredibly menacing. I saw him walk past half a dozen times, staring at me.
“Really? Here’s the thing. I did not walk past you once. Hundreds of other people did, though, as you’d expect given where you were sitting, in the front window of a busy hotel on possibly Melbourne’s busiest street.
“If you were feeling so ‘totally violated’ by this ‘creepy old man’ who, I note, you’ve given no description of other than to say he did not have a camera, which makes no sense given you can’t take a photo without one, then why didn’t you move to the rear of the restaurant to escape the gaze of nosy onlookers?”
Then he tried to make a point about hypocrisy.
He wrote, “Lisa, it is nonsense. Yes, I make a living out of taking pictures. It’s the same celebrity/entertainment journalism that pays your $2 million-a-year salary. Our platforms might be different, but in many ways our jobs are similar.
“So instead of the hypocrisy, I think it’s time for some honesty – and perhaps even an apology. Sincerely, Steve (aka the creepy old man).”
It was a very long open letter, and ultimately it came across pretty clearly that Steve wasn’t ‘sorry’ for making Wilkinson uncomfortable. Which make of that what you will.
It’ll be interesting to see if Wilkinson responds but if I was Steve I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Of course, if you are new to this story, and are wondering why on earth a paparazzi is demanding an apology from Wilkinson, let me take you back a few days ago.
This whole debacle kicked off when The Daily Mail published an article with the headline, “Lisa Wilkinson Sips on a margarita as she dines alone at a restaurant in Melbourne following The Project’s recent panellist shake-up.”
The article was accompanied by a photo of Wilkinson enjoying a margarita by herself, and the coverage by The Daily Mail quickly got roasted online.
After all, why is Wilkinson drinking alone news?
Hey lovely @Lisa_Wilkinson sometimes it is beyond blissful to have a quiet evening with your favourite cocktail, ordering exactly what you want to eat, while enjoying your own company. I love my #janedrinksaloneinabar moments. I bet you love your Lisa ones too.
— Jane Caro (@JaneCaro) March 19, 2022
In response, Wilkinson then took to Twitter and tweeted, “I was aware of a guy. He was incredibly menacing. I saw him walk past half a dozen times, staring at me.
“I never saw a phone or camera though. I was so concerned I waited an hour, working until I thought he had left the area. Horrifying that a news org employs people like this.”
I was aware of a guy. He was incredibly menacing. I saw him walk past half a dozen times, staring at me. I never saw a phone or camera though. I was so concerned I waited an hour, working, until I thought he had left the area.
Horrifying that a news org employs people like this. https://t.co/9nxlzbiBU5
— Lisa Wilkinson (@Lisa_Wilkinson) March 20, 2022
She also responded on Instagram and wrote, “And here’s to women everywhere being able to happily – and safely – take themselves out to dinner after a long day!
“To do some work, plough through a few dozen emails, text friends, have a cheeky cocktail, eat broccoli (because, hey, greens!), catch up on some reading, wear clothes, tuck their hair behind one ear, and place a white napkin on their lap in peace…without worrying about being shamed or judged or dissected or made to feel totally violated by some old creepy guy secretly taking pictures designed to make you look sad and lonely.
“When you’re actually having a great night, doing EXACTLY what you want to be doing, and with EXACTLY the person you want to be with.”
View this post on Instagram
And now we’ve reached the part in the story where the pap who took the photo of Wilkinson is demanding an apology.
There’s no business, like show business!
