“I’m turning this award into a joke!” Tom Gleeson wins Gold Logie after smear campaign
Comedian Tom Gleeson has surprised the television industry and has taken home the Gold Logie.
He brought a glass of red wine up on stage with him to collect his award and launched into an eight minute speech.
“Just because all of you want it and I’ve got it, don’t get angry with me. It’s alright, you’ll all survive. It’s a shame this is the last Gold Logie that’s ever going to be handed out — according to Grant Denyer, I’ve ruined the Logies. But at least I won this all by myself,” he said.
“Turns out I’m just really good at manipulating the media into doing things for me. Which, if you think about it, is why we’re all here.”
“There’s been a lot of concern that I’m turning this award into a joke. This award has done a lot of great things for a lot of different people. In the past it has represented trying to get more diversity on the screen or launching charities and that’s fantastic. But for me it represents a joke, but I love jokes. I really enjoy them. I really think we should all lighten the f*** up.”
“The aim of my campaign was just to have fun with the whole thing. Because it all doesn’t really matter. It really doesn’t matter. We can have fun and just be entertaining. People get concerned about people campaigning for the award. Is that legitimate? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. But it is social media. It is just media. I’m just trying to be entertaining through the media. Do you know what would have been weirder? If I campaigned for this award sincerely. That would have been worse. Imagine me just sincerely saying I was humbled by the award. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. It would make me want to vomit.”
TV WEEK Editor @ThomasWoodgate and Gold Logie winner @nonstoptom chat about his huge win at the #TVWEEKLogies pic.twitter.com/YvA2tVyMjc
— TV WEEK (@TVWEEKmag) 30 June 2019
After his speech, Gleeson continued in the press room. When a journalist inquired about whether or not he looked at his fellow nominees’ faces during his speech, he said:
“No, I was more focused on myself and my victory and how well I was doing. I’d already moved on. This is the thing, even if I’d won by fighting a clean fight, they wouldn’t have been happy for me. They’d have been smiling and pretending to be happy for me, but the way I’ve done it, they’ve just been in touch with their real emotions.
“Even you can’t believe you’re going to have to print that. Me too. That’s the joy of it, I can just say this s**t all day and you will write it down and make it a story. It’s ludicrous to me.”