First it was Carrie Bickmore, then Lisa Wilkinson and on Tuesday night’s episode another Project host announced their departure from the news program.
Comedian and regular co-host on Channel 10’s news program Peter Helliar announced that he will be leaving the show after eight years.
“These things come in threes and it’s time for me to say I will be leaving The Project soon,” he said.
“It’s been something on my mind for a while. People will read into the situation however they want to read into it, but I feel like I need to create some space for some projects I want to work on.
“I’ve been able to juggle over the years, you guys have seen me do How to Stay Married and stand-up and books over the years, but I feel like there are some new areas that I’m going into hopefully next year that I need to be present for.”
After nearly 8 years at the desk, Peter Helliar will be leaving The Project. Here is the moment he made the announcement. pic.twitter.com/k1i19lWcM5
— The Project (@theprojecttv) November 22, 2022
An emotional Helliar then quoted Carrie when she shared her news saying that he will also continue loving the show.
“You said that you are glad you’re leaving The Project while you still love it, and I still love this show. I really do,” he continued.
“It means a lot to me. It’s done amazing things for me. I interviewed Luke Skywalker once and that meant a lot, and I look forward to seeing what the show is like in the future.
“I’m pretty sure there are no more announcements and I can’t wait to see what you and Kyle and Jackie O do with the show next year,” he said to Waleed Aly.
Helliar has another two more weeks on the show, while Carrie has four more days. She jokingly wished Waleed Aly good luck for remaining.
But the real question now is, will Waleed Aly quit next?
According to entertainment reporter Peter Ford, the program has received quite a bit of backlash in the past year that it would not be surprising if Aly quit next.
“I can’t think of a TV show that has been as polarising and has divided opinion as much as The Project, but it’s not mandatory to watch,” he said.
“It’s increasing and increasing, and partly it is because on Twitter, people love to be angry, they want to be outraged and they want to bring someone or something down, so you have to allow that haters are going to hate.
“But The Project has become a brand name that seems to get people angry, and I don’t know why that is. It’s odd – nobody is being forced to watch it.”
He did however say that Aly may get away with it because he doesn’t have social media and doesn’t acknowledge the bad press toward him.
Image: The Project
