An Instagram post by Lizzie Baxter, the partner of Nova radio presenter Tim Blackwell, calling Blackwell “daddy” and including a photo of his three children drew criticism on social media and prompted commentary in Australian media over the weekend.
The post, shared on Father’s Day, featured Blackwell with the children he shares with his ex-wife, Monique, and included a caption referencing an age gap between Blackwell and Baxter. The item was the focus of a column in the Daily Mail by Amanda Goff, who called the caption “tone-deaf” and questioned the choice to share the image on a day that traditionally honours fathers.
Goff’s column noted wider reaction within the industry and on social platforms. The Daily Mail reported an unnamed industry source saying Nova management and the station’s female target audience might not view the post positively. Radio broadcaster Kyle Sandilands was reported to have defended Blackwell and Baxter, saying he saw nothing wrong with the caption and criticizing what he described as unnecessary online bullying.
Blackwell, 42, and Baxter, 28, went public with their relationship at the ARIA Awards in November 2024, according to reporting. Blackwell and his ex-wife Monique announced the end of their 14-year marriage in December 2023. Baxter previously worked as a content producer for the radio program Fitzy & Wippa, the Daily Mail reported.
The column contrasted Baxter’s Father’s Day post with Monique’s weekend, saying Monique spent the holiday with her new partner, Liam Walsh, former chief of Facebook ANZ, in Thirroul on the New South Wales South Coast. The Daily Mail reported that Monique’s posts from the trip showed the couple checking into an Airbnb and attending a concert together.
Commentary published about the post focused on social norms around family privacy and the ways public figures present domestic moments online. Some commentators and social-media users criticized Baxter for involving Blackwell’s children in a caption they found suggestive; others questioned whether such captions were intended as private jokes. Media coverage also noted that public reactions to celebrity relationships and age gaps vary widely and can be influenced by the personalities involved and the platforms on which the relationships are presented.
Representatives for Blackwell, Baxter and Monique did not immediately provide statements to the Daily Mail for the column. Nova, the station where Blackwell works, did not publish an official response in the item reviewed.
The episode underscores continuing public interest in how media figures manage family and romantic relationships on social media and the differing responses those choices can prompt among audiences, colleagues and commentators.