Tom Gleeson took a brutal parting shot at Channel 10 on Wednesday while announcing his departure from ABC’s The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.
The comedian told host Charlie that the commercial network ‘would be nothing’ without him, after he successfully (and ironically) campaigned for Channel 10 star Grant Denyer to win the Gold Logie in 2018.
Tom, 46, made the scandalous claim as he confirmed he was stepping down from his role as the host of Hard Chat, a regular segment on The Weekly that inspired his spin-off game show Hard Quiz.
Did he really say that? Tom Gleeson took a brutal parting shot at Channel 10 on Wednesday while announcing his departure from ABC’s The Weekly with Charlie Pickering
‘Without me Channel 10 would be nothing,’ he said, explaining that he was forced to quit his role because he’d become too powerful.
He then took credit for making Sophie Monk the Bachelorette in 2017, after he’d roasted her during a Hard Chat segment.
‘After that, I thought let’s just see how powerful this segment, Hard Chat, is. So I went and got Grant Denyer the Gold [Logie]!’ he added.
Stepping down: Tom, 46, made the scandalous claim as he confirmed he was stepping down from his role as the host of Hard Chat, a regular segment on The Weekly
Tom had started his #Denyer4Gold hashtag in 2018 because he thought it would be funny if someone who’d just had their show cancelled took home the prize.
At the time, Grant’s Channel 10’s game show Family Feud had recently been axed due to low ratings.
Grant ended up taking home the top award, and many industry insiders believed he only achieved this because of Tom’s tongue-in-cheek support.
It started as a joke! The comedian told host Charlie that the commercial network ‘would be nothing’ without him, after he successfully – and ironically – campaigned for Channel 10 star Grant Denyer to win the Gold Logie in 2018 (pictured)
‘The night before I started my campaign, I [put the #Denyer4Gold hashtag] into Twitter and there were no matches,’ Tom told The Kyle and Jackie O show in June 2019, taking credit for the controversial win.
‘By the time [the Logies] red carpet had ended, there were two million.’
Tom added: ‘His show [Family Feud] wasn’t on air last year and he won the Gold Logie. This year he has had five shows on air and no support from me and wasn’t even nominated!’
Bittersweet victory? Tom had started his #Denyer4Gold hashtag in 2018 because he thought it would be funny if someone who’d just had their show cancelled took home the prize. Grant (pictured with Amanda Keller) ended up taking home the top award, and many industry insiders believed he only achieved this because of Tom’s tongue-in-cheek support
But this isn’t the first time the comedian has announced he is quitting his role at the ABC. Last year, he ‘cancelled’ his own game show, Hard Quiz, as a strategic move to win a Gold Logie.
He said at the time: ‘I am holding Hard Quiz hostage. I have the show in my basement with a gun aimed at its head. If you do not vote for me, Hard Quiz is dead.
‘If you love the show, the only way for it to stay on air is for you to vote for me to get the Gold Logie, otherwise I will deny Australia Hard Quiz.’
Winner! This isn’t the first time the comedian has announced he is quitting his role at the ABC. Last year, he ‘cancelled’ his own game show, Hard Quiz, as a strategic move to win a Gold Logie – and was eventually successful
Tom went on to win the award and sparked controversy when he waltzed on stage drunk and told the whole television industry to ‘lighten the f**k up’.
During his popular Hard Chat segment, Tom would do a sit-down interview with a celebrity and ask them awkward, insulting questions in a deadpan manner.
In the past, he has interviewed the likes of James Blunt, Jessica Mauboy and The Veronicas. He has also talked to politicians including Josh Frydenberg and Anthony Albanese.
Awkward! During his popular Hard Chat segment, Tom would do a sit-down interview with a celebrity and ask them awkward, insulting questions in a deadpan manner. Pictured with Grant