Comedian and presenter Sam Pang has won the Gold Logie Award for most popular personality on Australian television at the 66th TV Week Logie Awards.
The former Logies host secured the top honor ahead of fellow nominees Allison Langdon, Julia Morris, Lisa Millar, Poh Ling Yeow and Todd Woodbridge.
Pang accepted the award from Kath & Kim star Magda Szubanski, who made a surprise appearance on stage dressed as her fictional character Sharon Strzelecki.
The presentation marked Szubanski's first television appearance since completing chemotherapy in February for stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer.
Accepting the trophy, Pang told the crowd that he did not know what to say and noted he had never received a standing ovation before.
He praised 22-year-old host Robert Irwin for doing a wonderful job during the ceremony, joking that he owned neckties older than the wildlife conservationist.
Pang paid tribute to his supporters while adding a joke about anyone he might forget, telling the audience that if he omitted their name, they should think about how much they actually did.
He thanked his family in Australia and his secret family overseas before offering an earnest reflection on his career in broadcasting.
Pang said he grew up watching television at the feet of his parents because they would not let him on the couch, adding that he never thought he would be on screen and felt very lucky and grateful to be part of the industry.
Earlier in the evening, Pang and Tom Gleisner took to the stage to accept the award for Best Comedy Entertainment Program for Have You Been Paying Attention?
In May, Pang announced he was stepping down from hosting the Logie Awards after a three-year tenure. He told The Age that he politely declined an approach to host the 2026 event, calling the departure amicable and stating that three was a nice number.
His three years as host produced major ratings success for the Seven Network, with his 2023 debut drawing 877,000 viewers and the 2025 broadcast attracting an average of 1.43 million viewers, the highest audience for the awards since 2012.
Robert Irwin hosting performance
Robert Irwin became the youngest host in the history of the event at age 22, taking home the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter during the broadcast.
However, Irwin's hosting debut drew mixed reactions after he opened with a dance routine to backing vocals from former Australian Idol singer Casey Donovan.
Later in the show, Irwin crashed a DJ set by Peking Duk and Adam Hyde, the boyfriend of Abbie Chatfield, to perform a breakdancing routine on stage.
Viewers took to social media platform X to criticize the performance, with one user urging Irwin to get off the stage while another asked him to stop.
Critics online compared Irwin's hosting style to a millennial Daryl Somers and questioned why he opened the show with a dance routine rather than a traditional monologue, noting that the cringe line was crossed early.
Other viewers defended the host, with fans posting on social media that Irwin was hilarious, awesome, and should serve as the permanent presenter for the Logie Awards.
During his opening speech, Irwin delivered a joke targeted at former Today show presenter Karl Stefanovic, who did not attend the event.
Irwin told the audience that a spare seat had been saved for Stefanovic over to the far-right, referencing the presenter's recent political shift.
Cameras panned to former morning television rivals Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington of Sunrise, who did not laugh at the remark as Barr sipped her champagne.
Irwin also joked about the cancellation of his series I'm A Celebrity.. Get Me Out Of Here! in May, stating he took Network 10 at face value when told the show had a secure future.
He added a joke about Network 10 developing a reboot of Hughesy, We Have A Problem, titled No, Seriously, Hughesy, We Have A Problem.
Addressing his background in wildlife conservation, Irwin joked that the Logies was not his natural habitat because he usually spends time among apex predators and venomous snakes, but felt right at home in the room.
Later in the ceremony, Irwin stripped off his suit to reveal his khaki zookeeper uniform before walking into the crowd carrying a lizard and two snakes, presenting them to Dr Chris Brown, Sam Pang, Melanie Bracewell and Amanda Keller.
Celebrity jokes and ceremony highlights
The 2026 ceremony marked 70 years of Australian television. Irwin announced that viewers would count down the greatest Australian television show of all time and introduced three new Hall of Fame inductees.
Irwin recalled his late father Steve Irwin receiving a posthumous Hall of Fame induction in 2007, calling it a moment he looks back on fondly.
He asked for applause for Australian programs celebrated during the night, listing Goolagong, RFDS, Married at First Sight, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Heartbreak High, Home Bodies and Have You Been Paying Attention?
Irwin described the year as a great one for new and returning shows, joking that beloved was a nice way of saying Big Brother was getting another run.
Comedians Urzila Carlson and Guy Montgomery continued the jokes about Stefanovic during their presenting stint, with Montgomery asking if Stefanovic had been the same since receiving the COVID vaccine.
Carlson replied that she would also be furious if she received a vaccine for a disease that does not exist, before Montgomery noted that radio host Kyle Sandilands was also absent.
Actor Shane Jacobson presented an award alongside Sophie Monk and made a political joke while struggling to open the winner's envelope, stating that the world would be better if One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's mouth was as hard to open.
Jacobson and Monk also shared an exchange when Jacobson mentioned that budget cuts forced them to present two awards, which Monk briefly misheard as a profanity before Jacobson clarified his words.
Presenting the inaugural Bruce McAvaney Award for Most Popular Sports Presenter, Jacobson pointed out that Bruce McAvaney himself was nominated for the award bearing his name, asking the crowd to imagine if someone else won it.
Tennis commentator Jelena Dokic won the Bruce McAvaney Award for her coverage of the 2026 Australian Open, 2025 Melbourne Cup, Wimbledon 2025, Roland Garros 2025, US Open 2025 and Cross Court 2025, but was absent to accept the trophy.
Julia Morris and Eddie McGuire presented Best Lifestyle Program with a comedy skit pretending Morris could not read the autocue without glasses. Irwin walked over to read the screen, which contained jokes taking aim at younger hosts for having acne and lacking experience.
Hall of Fame inductees and category winners
Deborah Mailman received a standing ovation as she was inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, becoming the first Indigenous woman to receive the honor in recognition of her 30-year career across screen and stage as a Bidjara and Māori actor.
Television presenter Andrew Denton was also inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, with his longtime colleague Amanda Keller delivering a speech celebrating his career.
Singer Dannii Minogue cried on stage while paying tribute to Young Talent Time creator and host Johnny Young, who died from pancreatic cancer two days before the ceremony at age 79.
Simon Baker accepted the Silver Logie for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his performance in Prime Video series The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
Brooke Satchwell won the Silver Logie for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her role in Stan series Dear Life, while Claudia Karvan won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for SBS series Homebodies.
The late New Zealand actor Sam Neill won the Silver Logie for Best Lead Actor in a Drama for his role in The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer on Binge and Foxtel. Neill, best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, died last month following a battle with cancer.
Actor Heather Mitchell accepted the award on Neill's behalf, stating she was sorry she was not Sam and noting that the series meant a great deal to him.
Ally Langdon won the Ray Martin Award for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter for A Current Affair, thanking her team and stating she loves coming to work every day.
In comedy categories, Steve Bisley won Best Actor in a Comedy for Deadloch on Prime Video, while Celia Pacquola won Best Actress in a Comedy for ABC show Dog Park. Dog Park also won Best Scripted Comedy Program.
Lila McGuire won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent for her role in Goolagong, which also won Best Miniseries or Telemovie.
RFDS won Best Drama Program, MasterChef Australia won Best Competition Reality Program, Muster Dogs won Best Structured Reality Program, Travel Guides won Best Lifestyle Program, Tipping Point Australia won Best Entertainment Program, and Play School won Best Children's Program.
Australian Story won Best Current Affairs Program, The Assembly won Best Factual or Documentary Program, Seven Network won Best News Coverage or Public Affairs Report for its Bondi Terror Attack coverage, and Nine Network won Best Sports Coverage for Australian Open 2026.
