Comedian Dave Hughes has joined television personality David 'Kochie' Koch in criticizing the annual Logie Awards, labeling the event "rubbish" during a recent radio appearance. Hughes, 55, expressed his strong disapproval of TV's "night-of-nights" on Wednesday while filling in on KIIS Network's Will & Woody Drive Show.
When prompted about the Gold Logie nominees, Hughes stated that the awards "have no respect" and are "rubbish anyway." He noted that he has performed at the ceremony 20 times.
Hughes's comments follow similar remarks made by former Sunrise presenter David 'Kochie' Koch. Koch, 70, expressed anger over the 2026 Logie nominations, particularly the absence of his former show, Sunrise, while rival program Today received nods despite lower viewership.
In an Instagram Story post, Koch questioned if the Logies had become a "participation award," highlighting Sunrise's consistent daily ratings dominance over the Today show. He pointed out that Sunrise had won every day of the year and was averaging 424,000 viewers daily, a 4% year-on-year increase, while Today averaged 308,000 viewers, a 3% decrease year-on-year.
Koch, who left Sunrise in 2023 after two decades, wrote on Instagram that it was "taking the p***" for a program that has allegedly lost ratings for 20 consecutive years to be nominated over Sunrise. He added that while he was part of the show, complaining about nominations was seen as being a "bad sport," but now that he has left, he felt free to express his disbelief.
The nominees for Most Popular News or Public Affairs Presenter include Ally Langdon of A Current Affair, David Speers and Sarah Ferguson of ABC, and Michael Usher of Channel Seven. The Best Current Affairs Program category features 60 Minutes, 7.30, A Current Affair, Today, Australian Story, and Four Corners.