‘Death threats, 24 hour security’: Waleed Aly reveals dark Project toll as first Muslim TV host

The Project host Waleed Aly has opened up about the dark pressures he faced as the first Muslim man to host a major TV show.

The Project host Waleed Aly has spoken publicly for the first time about the intense pressures and challenges he encountered as the first Muslim man to front a major Australian television program.

Speaking to a roundtable of former co-hosts on Hit Network’s Carrie and Tommy, Aly opened up about the backlash he received as the first Muslim man to hold a prime-time hosting role in commercial TV — revealing he received death threats and required 24-hour security while hosting the show.

“I’ve never spoken about this publicly but (it was tough) having to deal with death threats and security out the front of my house – sometimes for 24 hours – having to explain to the kids why suddenly there’s this guy driving us around as we go the zoo and not telling them why,” he said.

Former co-hosts Carrie Bickmore, Tommy Little, Waleed Aly, Pete Helliar and Dave Hughes reflected on their time on the show. Picture: Supplied

“That was very real. That was heavy stuff. So, I never thought about it that way (being the first Muslim on The Project) but I was forced to think about it … it was forced upon me.”

The 16-year-old show came to an end after a period of declining ratings and to make room for a new current affairs and insight program 10 News+.

Aly has been a co-host since the first episode aired and paid tribute to the “audacious TV experiment” started by some “outstandingly creative people”.

“I had been on the show every week (filing in, prior to being cast as a regular). I hadn’t thought about it, it was just an extension of what I was doing. You go into commercial TV, and you realise everything becomes about personalities.

“I remember the moment when I was nominated for the Gold Logie, and it was me and Lee Lin Chin and there was a front-page story absolutely going (at) us, and only us … like, ‘Why are these guys nominated?’

“I remember moments like that where I was like, ‘Whoa, okay, this is a real thing. This is becoming real and it’s all foisted upon you.”

The Project launched in 2009, and Friday’s finale was the 4504th episode.

It was first confirmed last week that the current affairs and entertainment panel program was wrapping up at the end of June, with stars including Harris and Aly leaving not only their roles on the show but also with Network 10.

According to insiders as many as 100 jobs overall will be impacted by Ten’s decision to drop the show, which was broadcast six nights a week and has production offices in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Alongside Aly, Bickmore co-hosted from 2009 until 2022 yet confessed she “never felt enough” on the show.

“You talked about feeling like an impostor before. I never have felt enough; I never felt enough on that show,” she said.

“It’s a strange thing to say when it was a huge part of my life, and I loved it! I loved it. I don’t know if it was me, my own insecurities, or people’s projections.

The final episode of The Project aired on Friday. Picture: Supplied.

“I’ll never forget the moment the words were said to me ‘why can’t you be more like Waleed?’

“I knew what they meant. You were extraordinary (Waleed) and you arrived on the show and changed the game for commentary everywhere. You were extraordinary. But that wasn’t my strength, nor should it have been, nor did I want that, nor did the show need that.

“But the problem was that when something good happens, it’s hard to not want everybody to do that good thing, so we can get more of that goodness, and make it even better because we’ve struck gold! It was like … ‘No, Waleed is Waleed!’ I should never have been you, we needed to be ourselves, and so often I felt like I needed to be someone else. Something clicked in my head and I realised, I just need to be me.”

Originally published as ‘Death threats, 24 hour security’: Waleed Aly reveals dark Project toll as first Muslim TV host