Lisa Wilkinson plans major comeback as her shock ‘new career’ is revealed: ‘Always had a keen interest’

Lisa Wilkinson is reportedly planning to launch an exciting new career in 2025, more than two years after her shock exit from The Project in November 2022.

The veteran TV presenter is said to have her sights set on entering the world of politics.

‘She is 65 and ready for a new challenge: trying her hand at politics. She has always had a keen interest in leading the way in her local community,” a close friend reportedly said Women’s Day magazine.

“Maybe she can run for a seat in the next election.”

It comes after Lisa recently shared a cryptic message on social media in which she revealed she was ready for a ‘new beginning’.

After two years of garden leave worth $1.7 million a year, her time at Channel Ten ended with a whimper over the Christmas holidays.

Her multi-year contract expired on New Year’s Eve and was not renewed.

Wilkinson joined the network in 2018 after an infamous pay dispute at Nine when she discovered her Today co-host Karl Stefanovic was earning significantly more than her.

Everything went well when she signed a new contract with Ten in 2021.

But just a year later, she stepped down as host of The Project – her only on-air role – citing the toll of “ruthless, targeted” media reporting.

In the two years since she disappeared from our screens, she has continued to collect a monthly salary from Ten, the forgotten child of commercial TV, despite cuts across the industry.

Since then, Wilkinson has slowly built up her public image, as the controversial television star quietly appeared at a handful of red carpet events in recent months and showed up at a trendy influencer party last year.

She surprised guests at the launch of the new GRO+ Advanced Hair Serum from wellness brand Vegamour at Bondi Icebergs, the Daily Telegraph reported.

It was the latest in a series of appearances in an attempt for Wilkinson to ‘return to the Sydney social scene’, the publication claims.

The veteran TV presenter is said to have her sights set on entering the world of politics

‘She is 65 and ready for a new challenge: trying her hand at politics. She has always had a keen interest in leading the way in her local community,” a close friend told Woman’s Day magazine this week.

In August, Wilkinson was all smiles on the red carpet at the opening night of Sunset Boulevard in Sydney.

The controversial television star appeared in good spirits as she made a glamorous entrance to the Sydney Opera House.

She also mingled with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Cauliflower Club rugby lunch at the end of August.

It follows news that Wilkinson wants to return to TV screens after months of inactivity and five nasty weeks spent in a courtroom, sources say.

The Channel 10 star and former darling of breakfast TV is keen to do more ‘blockbuster interviews’ again in the new year, friends told the Weekend Australian.

Wilkinson quit The Project in November 2022 and despite remaining on Ten’s payroll until the end of 2024, she has not appeared on the channel for more than a year.

Despite her long hiatus from the network, Wilkinson has remained in the public eye through her role in a highly publicized defamation lawsuit.

She was involved in a case with Bruce Lehrmann who sued Network 10 and Wilkinson over an interview with Brittany Higgins that aired on The Project and online.

In the last five weeks of the court’s term, the defamation case played out in court – Judge Lee reserved his decision in this case.

Friends of Wilkinson say her court appearances have worked to her advantage by giving the TV star ‘a constant stream of publicity’.