Waleed Aly appears to make a sly dig at Carrie Bickmore and Lisa Wilkinson’s salaries on The Project

Waleed Aly’s pointed comment may have been a reference to how his own salary was dwarfed by his co-hosts before they left the show.

Waleed Aly appeared to make a sly dig at his former The Project colleagues Lisa Wilkinson and Carrie Bickmore during a discussion about pay.

Aly, Sarah Harris and guest host Kate Langbroek were cheekily challenged by comedian Sam Taunton to reveal their salaries on Thursday night’s show to see who earned the most.

“I really wish we’d done this last year,” Aly joked, causing Harris to burst into laughter.

Taunton responded: “Oh, I see what you’re getting at there.”

Waleed Aly was asked about his salary on The Project. Picture: Channel 10

Lisa Wilkinson and Carrie Bickmore were reported to earn more than Aly. Picture: Jerad Williams

Aly’s pointed comment may have been a reference to how his own salary, reported to be about $900,000 a year, was dwarfed by those of Wilkinson and Bickmore before they left the show.

The Australian previously reported that Bickmore, a veteran of the Channel 10 show, was making $1.5 million a year, while Wilkinson was said to be on $1.7 million.

Both women resigned from the show late last year.

The discussion came after Langbroek revealed that her own pay gap with Dave Hughes during their time hosting the Hughesy and Kate radio show led to their partnership ending.

She revealed on Thursday’s show that she earned 40 per cent less than Hughes, but did not know about it for the first decade of their 18-year stint working together.

“Hughesy and I did a radio show together for 18 years and had never ever discussed what we got paid,” she explained.

“It turned out he was getting paid 40 per cent more than I was. This was the Hughesy and Kate Show that we had made together and didn’t exist without us,” she said.

Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek earned different salaries. Picture: Channel 10

“Showbusiness is not a standard situation but we did a radio show together for 18 years. It changed our relationship when we talked about money and I then left.”

Langbroek eventually quit to spend more time with her family in 2019.

She ended up moving to Bologna, in Italy, with her family before returning to Melbourne in 2021.

Langbroek argued that because women are the “breeders,” they need more flexible work options and ultimately get “punished for it”.

She did, however, save some praise for Hughes.

“Apart from my husband, he was the most significant man in my life. And it has been like a marriage, and now like a divorce,” she said.

For decades the gender pay gap has infected our workplaces, short-changing women across the country. But now, businesses will be compelled to reveal how much they pay women compared to men. Gender Equality activist, @JamilaRizvi, joins us. pic.twitter.com/feJWV2KG9o

— The Project (@theprojecttv) March 30, 2023

Radio co-hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson used to earn different amounts but Sandilands demanded Henderson be paid the same as him.

Way back in the early 2000s, when pay parity wasn’t the loud conversation it is now, he found out his new co-host Jackie O was getting paid less than him, and it enraged him so much he offered to take a pay cut himself so they’d be paid the same.

“I went and spoke to our general manager and told her Jackie O getting paid less wasn’t right! I told her to make it even and use my money,” Sandilands said.

“She said, ‘You want to give Jackie money out of your own money?’ And I said ‘yeah!’

“Two hours later, she said I will increase Jackie O’s salary, but won’t take any off you,” Sandilands said.

According to the Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency the pay gap in Australia is 13.3 per cent. This means that for every dollar on average that men earn, women earn around 87 cents.

Originally published as Waleed Aly appears to make a sly dig at Carrie Bickmore and Lisa Wilkinson’s salaries on The Project