Tommy Little jokes about Lisa Wilkinson’s margarita photo on The Project

Tommy Little has poked fun at Lisa Wilkinson after photos of her sipping a cocktail prompted social media uproar over the weekend.

Lisa Wilkinson’s colleagues have her back amid The Project star’s “creepy” recent paparazzi run-in, with Tommy Little and Jan Fran taking the opportunity to poke fun at the situation during Sunday night’s show.

Wilkinson appeared relieved to have a laugh as her colleagues teased each other over their alcohol consumption in a subtle nod to the host’s clash with the Daily Mail.

It comes after Wilkinson took to social media over the weekend to slam an article based on photos of her enjoying a meal and cocktail at a Melbourne restaurant.

The “exclusive” article made repeated mention of the fact that she was “alone”, while chronicling her outfit and every move during the meal of “broccoli and mussels” in extreme detail.

“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’s headline read.

Lisa Wilkinson laughed off a reference to paparazzi snaps of her dining solo in Melbourne published by the Daily Mail in a "creepy" story about her every movement during the outing.

Describing the man behind the camera as “menacing” in her account, the 62-year-old host said the encounter left her feeling “totally violated” in a post on Instagram.

“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,” she wrote.

Responding to a commenter on Twitter, Wilkinson further explained: “I was aware of a guy. He was incredibly menacing. I saw him walk past half a dozen times, staring at me.

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

“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.”

Wilkinson’s female peers in the industry were equally horrified, but Project co-hosts Tommy Little and Jan Fran did their bit to make light of the saga.

Greeting viewers at the beginning of Sunday night’s show, Tommy Little — who joined hosts Wilkinson and Hamish Macdonald along with regular guest host Jan Fran — admitted he was “nervous”.

Little didn’t waste time in making mention of the article.

Jan Fran played along in the subtle back and forth.

“Why Tommy?” asked Wilkinson.

“I dunno, it just feels like a big one tonight,” the comedian responded, adding: “Jan Fran and I, well she has been hitting the bottle very hard before the show.”

Fran, who is pregnant with her first child, quipped back: “This is gin actually,” as she held up a glass of water to laughs from the panel.

“We’ve done whatever we can to get through Wilko,” Little added as Wilkinson swiftly moved on and began to present the program.

Originally published as Tommy Little jokes about Lisa Wilkinson’s margarita photo on The Project