Wil Anderson admits Triple M departure was ‘terrible timing’

When comedian Wil Anderson announced his radio departure last December to focus on his lucrative touring business, the world was in a very different place.

Then a global pandemic took hold and wiped out the live comedy circuit almost overnight.

“Was it bad timing? Clearly, it was terrible timing,” Anderson told Mediaweek. “I have joked to people about this. The secret of comedy is timing and this wasn’t the greatest timing to step away from a regular media job to spend the entire year touring live stand-up comedy.

“Comedy was the first thing that went [during COVID] and will be the last thing to come back.

“In my plans, I am really looking at 2022 is the most likely year we will get back to doing what it was I thought I was going to be doing all this year.”

Anderson, who replaced Mick Molloy in 2017 to join Eddie McGuire on Triple M Melbourne’s Hot Breakfast, had been in negotiations with bosses for months about his future on the show.

When those talks reportedly stalled, the former triple j host revealed he planned to quit radio.

“I loved doing the radio – it was fun and I don’t regret the time I spent doing it,” he told Mediaweek editor James Manning ahead of the season return of Gruen on ABC TV on October 14.

“Going back to Melbourne was something I had been thinking about for 20 years.

“I love broadcasting, but I had been wanting to see if there was a way of making podcasting be more financial so I could just do that and not have to work on someone else’s project.”

When asked by Manning if any radio networks are courting him, Anderson left the door open.

“It would really surprise me if I ever put my hand up anything else again. But never say never about anything, but it is certainly not what I am looking to do,” he said.