Aussie comedian Dave ‘Hughsey’ Hughes has revealed he left his hosting gig on The Project after the coverage and politics of the show became something he no longer wanted to align himself with.
Hughsey was one of the original panellists when the show launched in 2009, alongside Carrie Bickmore and Charlie Pickering. He decided to leave in 2013, with reports at the time claiming he was worn out and sleep-deprived. But now, Hughesy has revealed the true reason behind his departure.
Hughes was replaced by Peter Helliar following his departure from The Project. Bickmore stayed on for 13 years, leaving in November 2022, and Pickering for five years, leaving in April 2024. AAP
On a new episode of the McKnight Tonight podcast, Hughsey said that having been there from the get-go, his understanding was that The Project was going to be a “light-hearted” program.
“But it quickly turned into a show that had many serious stories on it, and that’s fair enough, but that made it harder for comedy when the stories are so bleak,” he said.
But for Hughesy, it was about more than just the draining news cycle. He shares that he got frustrated with some of the “bulls—” politics of the show.
“The politics of it was – I mean, I’ve never been all one-sided, I mean obviously now you can see that I’m going hard against the Labour government, but I’ve always like to make up my own mind,” he told host Rob McKnight.
“So, yeah, I had many frustrating moments on the show where I’m like, ‘this is bulls— guys. I don’t believe this. We’re singing from the wrong songbook here’.”
When McKnight suggested that the show focused on “very inner-city thinking” Hughsey said he agrees “100 per cent”, adding that what the show had become by 2013 simply wasn’t for him.
Over the last few months, Hughesy has been thrust back into the spotlight, becoming more outspoken on his political opinions, particularly his criticisms of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
He also made headlines when comedian Melanie Bracewell accused him of peeing into a glass she was using backstage when the pair met at a comedy show back in 2022.
Shortly after Bracewell shared the accusation on her Instagram, Hughesy cleared the air, sharing his side of the story and promising he would “never do it again”.
Hughesy explained that he peed in the glass with intentions of emptying it after the show because there were no bathrooms backstage. He didn’t know it belonged to a fellow performer. Instagram/@dhughesy
“That’s come up again a few weeks ago and all of a sudden it’s an issue,” he told McKnight.
“It’s funny how things are an issue when you start getting politically outspoken, mate.”