There were Gold Logies, Hall of Fame honours, emotional tributes and even a rather large python at Australian television’s night of nights – but it was the return of one much-loved face that had viewers smiling.
Magda Szubanski made a surprise appearance at the Logie Awards on Sunday night, returning to the stage as her beloved Kath & Kim alter ego Sharon Strzelecki – and proving that even after all these years, a netball-loving Sharon can still steal a scene from just about anyone.
The appearance was particularly special after Szubanski revealed last year that she had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. She appeared at the 2025 Logies via video link while undergoing treatment, but has since announced that she is in remission.
This time, she was very much there in person, although Sharon appeared to have made some questionable career choices since we last saw her.
Dressed in Australia Zoo khaki, complete with bandages and an arm sling, Szubanski appeared alongside 22-year-old Logies host Robert Irwin as an apparently accident-prone new zoo trainee.
When Irwin explained she had fallen into a tiger enclosure, Sharon was suitably unimpressed.
“Don’t all the trainees fall in the tiger enclosure?” she asked.
The pair then slipped effortlessly into a Kath & Kim gag, with Irwin doing his best Sharon impression as he begged her not to abandon him on television’s biggest night.
Szubanski was ultimately there for the evening’s biggest job of presenting the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.
That honour went to Sam Pang, who temporarily appeared to achieve the impossible and run out of things to say before delivering an acceptance speech filled with his trademark dry humour.
“I grew up watching television at the feet of my parents,” Pang joked, explaining that they wouldn’t let him sit on the couch. He went on to say he felt “very, very lucky and very, very grateful” to have built a career in Australian television.
It was the perfect pairing: one of Australian television’s sharpest current comedians receiving its biggest prize from one of its most adored.
There were plenty of other memorable moments across the night.
Irwin, the youngest Logies host yet, kicked things off with a dance routine before discovering that vigorous choreography and an opening monologue are perhaps best scheduled a little further apart. He recovered quickly, however, taking aim at several TV personalities before later bringing reptiles onto the stage. He also collected the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter.
Andrew Denton earned a standing ovation as he was inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, delivering a speech that was widely praised by viewers. His advice to those working in TV was simple: back yourself, accept failure as part of the creative process and be generous in helping others succeed.
There was also history for Deborah Mailman, who became the first Indigenous person inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame. An emotional Mailman dedicated the honour to her parents and was surprised during the tribute by a video appearance from her former drama teacher.
One of the evening’s most poignant moments came when the late Sam Neill was posthumously named Best Lead Actor in a Drama for The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer. His friend and fellow actor Heather Mitchell accepted the award, saying Neill had been enormously proud of the series and that the recognition would have meant a great deal to him.
But amid all the trophies, speeches and television glamour, Szubanski’s appearance carried an extra dose of joy.
After a difficult year, seeing her back on stage, back in character and cheerfully tormenting the host felt like a little victory all of its own.
Image: Seven
