Kochie, Karl and Tracy Grimshaw: Looking back on the Logies’ iconic moments

There’s a reason why Margot Robbie cites the Logies as being the ‘wild wild west of award shows’. With Aussie TV’s night of nights making a triumphant return this evening, we take a look at years gone by.

Although she’s more likely to be at the Oscars than the Logies these days, there’s a reason global movie star Margot Robbie cites the celebration of Aussie TV excellence as being ‘the wild wild west’ of award shows, and just a ‘big piss up’.

As one of Australia’s most important long-running red carpet events, year after year the Logies has shown our TV stars know how to put on a show even when they’re off the clock.

From Tracey Grimshaw being caught in the nuddy back in the 90s, or Karl Stefanovic’s infamous Today show broadcast there are plenty of memorable moments deserving of awards themselves.

1998 TRACEY’S RACY RUN-IN

After downing tequila shots at the 1998 Logies, a short time later Tracey Grimshaw found herself in a compromising position failing to tell the difference between her hotel room bathroom and the corridor, resulting in the then Today show host being locked out of her room completely naked.

Tracey Grimshaw on the red carpet at the 2009 Logies

It was a gaffe Grimshaw tried to sweep under the rug for almost a decade: it wasn’t until 2013 when appearing on the Kyle and Jackie O show did she spill the beans on what really happened.

“Suddenly it was quarter to four in the morning, and I had done a few tequila shots and I was doing the Today Show that morning,” she said.

“I thought, ‘I am going to have a shower and get ready because the girls are going to be here in 15 minutes to get me all shooshed for the Today Show’.

Tracey Grimshaw with Steve Lieberman on the set of 'Today'.

“So I took the dress off I was wearing and the finery and pulled all the bits and bobs from my hair and went to have a shower and found myself in the hallway. At Crown. Yup.”

GRETEL KILLEEN AND THAT HOSTING PERFORMANCE

After taking some time out from showbiz following a 7 year stint hosting Big Brother Gretel Killeen made a surprising comeback to the limelight, accepting the gig of hosting the 51st Logies awards. Sadly it was a short-lived comeback.

Gretel Killeen hosting the 2009 Logies. Logie Awards.

Only a short time after she took the stage she was slammed for wooden delivery, lacklustre jokes falling flat, an overabundance of self-deprecating humour and poking fun at members of the live audience.

Further adding to Killeen’s misfortune the 2009 Logies coincided with the rise of Twitter, with viewers using the new microblogging platform to tear her to shreds.

Poor Gretel was so scarred from hosting the event she retreated from show business for years, later reflecting it almost killed her.

“It killed me, it was so hard and so difficult and so isolating,” Killeen told the program One Plus One on the ABC.

“I can think of no other way of describing it: it killed me. It absolutely killed that person who had existed up until then.”

Gretel Killeen dressed up as an angel during her hosting gig at the 2009 Logies.

KOCHIE AND KARL’S ALMOST-KISS

Speaking of awkward moments.

This clumsy encounter between rival Kochie and Karl Stefanovic ranks pretty highly in notable awkward Logies moments.

David Koch and Karl Stefanovic share an awkward moment on the Logies red carpet. Picture: Channel 9

The two rival morning show stars crossed paths on the red carpet at the 2017 Logies, when Karl, who was working as a red carpet correspondent, addressed the camera to announce the audience was going to witness a TV first.

What they did witness was the two men almost kiss, when one went in for a hug and the other went in for a peck.

The ever graceful Lisa Wilkinson, at the time Stefanvoic’s co host, tried her best to deny there was any awkwardness between the duelling morning TV duos, taking to Instagram to post a portrait of the four.

Rival breakfast television hosts pose for a happy snap on the red carpet at the Logies 2017.

KARL HOSTS TODAY SHOW POST-LOGIES

Karl Stefanovic appears again on this list, as of course any trip down Logies lane would be incomplete without a mention of one ill fated episode of Today show back in 2009.

Broadcasting live from the Crown casino, just hours after festivities had wrapped up, an allegedly still-drunk Stefanovic could be seen erupting into giggles, and slurring his words, at one point abandoning a weather update half way through by saying ‘you know what, who cares’.

Co-host Lisa Wilkinson held the three hour broadcast together but Stefanovic’s drunken conduct was looked upon favourably, with many saying the slip up made his public image more relatable.

TV personalities Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson during the infamous post-2009 Logies Today Show broadcast.

He later described it as a ‘game changer’ career moment but unsure if that is the wisest of career advice one should take.

“It wasn’t any different to any other year — we all get smashed at the Logies and go to work the next day; we’d done it for years and years. But this was the first Logies when stuff really started working on the internet,” he says.

Karl is not the only star to admit to rocking up to work post Logies more than a little bit dusty.

Margot Robbie appeared on US talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! Back in 2019 and revealed how one year at the Logies she got ‘so drunk she thought she died’ and passed out on the bathroom floor before turning up for work on the set of Neighbours.

“I showed up to work then in my gown, and a nurse had to give me some oxygen and I felt great afterwards.”