Waleed Aly: ‘I still don’t regard myself as a celebrity’

WALEED ALY’S one of the most popular presenters on TV. But his meteoric rise to fame has left him bemused.

HE’S one of the most popular presenters on Australian TV who not only entertains but also educates viewers every weeknight. But Waleed Aly still doesn’t consider himself a celebrity.

The 37-year-old host of The Project, academic, lawyer and musician (overachiever much?) opened up to Men’s Style Australia about his growing public profile.

“I’m not struggling with it (celebrity) so much as … well, ‘bemused’ is probably a better word,” he said.

“I still don’t regard myself as a celebrity and I find the whole notion laughable, really. I come from a world where the thing that’s mattered most is the content or the issue, not the personality, and I still approach it that way.”

Waleed Aly for Men's Style magazine. Picture: Duncan Killick/Men's Style

Waleed on the cover of Men’s Style Australia magazine.

Peter Helliar, Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly.

Ultimately it’s Aly’s take on “issues” which have made him a household name. For example, his analysis of ISIS on The Project in the wake of the Paris attacks last year has been viewed more than 30 million times.

“There are certain issues where I have a position and I will, when the moment calls for it, argue that position, but I don’t expect people to just flatly believe in it,” he said to the magazine.

“It’s more an offer. This is my analysis, do with it what you will.”

Aly became a permanent co-host of The Project in January 2015 after long-time co-host Dave Hughes left the program in 2013 and Charlie Pickering followed suit four months later.

“I think Waleed has brought an intelligence to the show that is refreshing for us,” said executive producer Craig Campbell to news.com.au last year.

Man of many talents.

Ratings have risen since Aly’s joined the show, but he told Men’s Style that he’s not entirely comfortable being on TV every night.

“I’m very concerned about what being a performer does to character,” he said.

“I think daily performance is a dangerous thing for humans to do, and an unhealthy mode for people to be in regularly. One of my philosophical objections to social media is that it transforms our entire existences into one-off performances. I think that’s a really unhealthy development.”

The Project airs weeknights on Network Ten at 6.30pm

Originally published as Waleed Aly: ‘I still don’t regard myself as a celebrity’