Lisa Wilkinson remains off air from The Project following Logies fallout

The Project co-host will remain off air amid the fallout from the Logies and it’s unclear exactly when she will return.

Brittany Higgins and Lisa Wilkinson. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Lisa Wilkinson remains off air until at least next week amid the fallout from her Logies speech, which resulted in a four-month delay to the trial of a man accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins.

The 62-year-old will no longer be co-hosting the program’s much-hyped Monday night show when Hollywood superstar Chris Hemsworth is due to appear, sources confirmed to The Australian.

The latest cancellation to Wilkinson’s scheduled on-air appearances will be the fourth no show from the star in just five days – she has not appeared on The Project since she gave her controversial speech at the TV awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday night.

A Ten spokeswoman told The Australian, “Lisa will most likely return later next week”.

Melbourne radio host Chrissie Swan, who has been helping fill in for Carrie Bickmore while she has been on temporary leave in the UK with her family for several months, had finished up at The Project last week and was remaining on an “on call” basis for the program.

However, program executives have been forced to recall Swan to the program next week given Wilkinson’s sudden absence.

Swan will now be co-hosting Monday night’s show, which will be broadcast from Ten’s Sydney studios – it is usually filmed in Melbourne.

Bickmore is due to return from the UK and resume her role on The Project in July.

The constant changing of hosts on the program’s nightly four panel line-up follows a disastrous week for Ten after Wilkinson gave her televised speech just days before the trial involving Bruce Lehrmann was due to start in the ACT Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, Chief Justice Lucy McCallum stayed Mr Lehrmann’s trial following the TV star’s acceptance speech at the Logie Awards, which resulted in publicity that the court determined had temporarily prejudiced the defendant’s right to a fair hearing.

Mr Lehrmann has been accused of sexually assaulting Ms Higgins inside Canberra’s Parliament House in 2019.

Mr Lehmann’s legal team last year said the ex-Liberal staffer “absolutely and unequivocally denies any form of sexual activity took place”.

Lisa Wilkinson at the Logie Awards. Picture: www.matrixpictures.com.au

Wilkinson’s comments made during her speech and the following consequences of the trial being pushed to a later date has also resulted in anger among some of her colleagues, with one Ten staffer describing her as a “self-indulgent, non journalist”.

But on Thursday, Ten issued a statement flagging potential defamation action against other media outlets after Wilkinson gave undertakings to an ACT court not to engage in any further commentary about the Higgins case or Mr Lehrmann.

“Recent reporting on Lisa Wilkinson by some media organisations has been inaccurate and unfair,” the Ten statement said.

“There are significant facts that cannot be disclosed until after the trial has concluded.”

Ten also said they would continue to “fully support Lisa in her ongoing and full commitment to doing the right thing as a witness in the trial”.

Wilkinson is due to give evidence at the criminal trial, which is now scheduled to begin on October 4.

The Australian revealed earlier in the week she and the Ten Network hired barrister Matthew Collins, president of the Australian Bar Association, just four hours after he was interviewed on the Seven Network’s Sunrise program, where he said it was a “serious possibility” authorities might look to charge Wilkinson with contempt of court following her speech at the star-studded event.