From nudity and cheeky stunts right through to calling out racism, the Logies has seen it all over the years.

The Logies 2025 is set to take place at The Star Sydney this Sunday. Photo: Channel 7

It’s Australian television’s night of nights: the glitz, the glamour, the celebrities. But best of all? Why it’s the scandal of the Logies, of course.

With the 65th Annual TV Week Logie Awards taking place at The Star Sydney this Sunday, it’s time to look back at some of the most talked-about moments from the awards show. From Karl Stefanovic’s widely televised inebriated shenanigans to Tom Gleeson’s Gold Logie-winning campaign of mockery, here are the biggest Logies controversies of all time (so far).

Karl Stefanovic’s repeated shenanigans, 2009, 2011 & 2023

Karl Stefanovic was drunk the morning after the Logies in 2009. Photo: Channel Nine
Would it really be the Logies if Today host Karl Stefanovic didn’t find himself mired in some sort of controversy? In 2009, he appeared on air, still plainly drunk following a night of loose Logies celebrations.

“I didn’t feel drunk when I woke up the next morning, otherwise I would not have gone on air,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald at the time. “I like to think that I’m professional enough to have made that decision. But clearly from the vision that I have seen, I wasn’t at my best, and what I want to do is apologise to anyone out there who may have, um, you know, been offended by my behaviour on Monday morning. So, humble apologies to you all.”

Then, just two years later, Karl shocked viewers when he made a lewd comment about his then-wife Cassandra while accepting an award.

“My beautiful wife, Cass, who lets me go on these weird and wonderful excursions around the world… a great influence in my life,” he said. “And she’s also got the best a**e I’ve ever seen.”

Karl was also criticised on social media following the 2023 Logie Awards, where he made a brutal joke about his former breakfast TV rival, Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch.

After Kochie had mentioned on stage that he loves the Australian series Bump, Karl decided to make a controversial joke about the confession later in the night. The TV host took to the stage for the In Memoriam segment when he poked fun at the Channel Seven star.

“I did also want to just check something, I am pretty sure before I heard Kochie say he loves bumps…season 3. Did anyone mishear that? Because I am pretty sure I did. Anyway, those are the headlines tomorrow morning,” Karl said, leaving Kochie less than impressed.

Julia Morris announces winner before reading nominees, 2015

Julia Morris accidentally jumped the gun and announced The Voice as the winner before naming the other nominees in 2015. Photo: Channel Nine
In a particularly outstanding gaffe, during the presentation of the Outstanding Entertainment Program award in 2015, Julia Morris accidentally jumped the gun and announced The Voice as the winner before naming the other nominees.

The slip-up caused confusion, disrupting the usual flow of the award ceremony and shocking the nominees who missed out.

The comedian didn’t miss a beat, saying on stage: “It’s live TV, don’t say anything, they can cut it out later. We’re going to talk about the nominees later when I’m in really big trouble.”

Norman Gunston’s Gold Logie campaign and winning speech, 1976

Norman Gunston launched a particularly memorable campaign for the Gold Logie back in 1976. Photo: YouTube
Norman Gunston, the comedic alter ego of actor Garry McDonald, launched a particularly memorable campaign for the Gold Logie back in 1976. Norman’s unique style and unconventional acceptance speech caught the room off guard, netting many a laugh and solidifying his place in Logies and Australian comedy history.

He told TV Week in 2012: “I totally campaigned! I had the Logie voting page on the screen, and my name was in every category. Best Documentary Norman Gunston. Best Female Artist Norman Gunston. And that’s how people sent it in!

“They tried not to give it to me, apparently, but (TV Week’s) Frank Crook said, ‘You have to give it to him.’ They said, ‘He campaigned, and it’s not a real character!’ But Frank said, ‘You’ve got to. Look how many votes he got!’. So they gave it to me, and then I asked (female Gold Logie winner) Denise Drysdale if she had to sleep with anyone to get where you are tonight – and I don’t mean the bus driver. There was terrible drama about that!”

His influence would later inspire comedian Tom Gleeson’s controversial campaign.

Tracy Grimshaw’s ‘nudie run’ incident, 1998

In a notorious incident once only whispered about, in 1998, Today co-host Tracy Grimshaw accidentally locked herself out of her hotel room while a little drunk and very nude.

The embarrassing incident only became public knowledge years later, adding a touch of mystery and scandal to the history of the Logie Awards. Tracey revealed in an interview with The Kyle and Jackie O Show in 2013 that she had been downing tequila shots with good friend James Packer until 4am.

“I locked myself out of my hotel room starkers. It was 3:45am and there was no one in the hallway,” she said.

In her confused state, she had mistaken the entry door for the bathroom door, ending up in the hallway without any way back into her room.

“I realised that the guest opposite [my hotel room] had The Australian delivered. Thank god it was a broadsheet and not the Herald Sun!” she joked.

Tracy said she then immediately covered herself with the newspaper, knocked on the next door down and waited for them to call reception so she could be let back in.

Bert Newton says ‘boy’ to Muhammad Ali, 1979

Bert Newton’s “I like the boy” comment shocked. Photo: YouTube
Following a couple of minutes of hilarious back and forth, things took a surprisingly sharp turn for the worse between Bert Newton and US heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in 1979, when Bert proclaimed jovially: “I like the boy.”

A shocked Ali asked Bert to clarify whether he’d said “Roy” or “boy”, the latter historically used as a racial slur against many black Americans.

Ali, however, brushed off the unintended offence in a characteristic display of pure class, dropping a quick freestyle diss about Bert and the Logies to much acclaim.

Tom Gleeson’s controversial Gold Logie win, 2019

Tom Gleeson won the Gold Logie in 2015. Photo: Getty Images
Back to the future and comedian Tom Gleeson got more than he bargained for in 2019, taking home the coveted Gold Logie, despite a relentless campaign of mockery.

Gleeson’s satirical approach and blatant disregard for the awards stirred controversy and divided opinions, even amongst close friends and colleagues.

In an interesting twist, Gleeson later conceded the win actually helped sell out the rest of his comedy tour, and that he’d underestimated the esteem the awards held among the Australian public.

Waleed Aly calls out racism in Australia, 2016

Waleed Aly called out the ongoing issue of racism in Australia. Photo: Channel 9
In 2016, The Project‘s Waleed Aly used his Gold Logie acceptance speech to speak out about the ongoing issue of racism in Australia.

“Not so long ago, actually… someone who is in this room, and I’m not going to use the name they use in the industry, came up to me, introduced themselves and said to me, ‘I really hope you win. My name is Mustafa. But I can’t use that name because I won’t get a job’,” Waleed said in the speech.

His passionate words humbled audiences, sparking important conversations about Australia’s racist past and present, and cementing the speech as one of the most pivotal and controversial in Australian television history.

How can I watch the 2025 Logies?

The 2025 Logie Awards will take place on Sunday, August 3, airing on Channel 7 and 7plus. The red carpet will kick off at 7pm, followed by the awards show at 7:30pm.

Voting is now open for all awards and will remain open until 7pm AEST, Friday, August 1. The Most Popular Presenter, Most Popular New Talent, and Most Popular News or Public Affairs Reporter categories will close 7:30pm AEST, Sunday, August 3, and the Gold Logie votes will stay open until 10:30pm AEST on the same day.