Barry Humphries family to boycott memorial over Richard Wilkins

In a bizarre development, family and loved ones of later Australian comedy legend Barry Humphries have announced their intention to boycott his memorial service – due to the involvement of Richard Wilkins.

Nine’s veteran entertainment reporter Wilkins has been announced as the host of the public memorial, which will be held at the Sydney Opera House on Friday December 15, nine months after Humphries’ death at the age of 89 after a stay in hospital due to ill health.

But Sydney Confidential today reports that Wilkins’ starring role in the ceremony has left Humphries’ family and friends so “aghast” that they won’t be coming.

“Like a number of Barry’s friends, I was amazed and aghast that Channel 9 personality Richard Wilkins was chosen to be the MC at this important event, Barry’s memorial,” Professor Ross Fitzgerald, a longtime friend of Humphries’, told Sydney Confidential.

“I am also very puzzled how this happened … I find it very hard to believe that members of the family and the children for example would have approved this.”

The outlet reports that while Humphries’ widow Lizzie Spender had been involved in the preparations for the service, Humphries’ daughter Emily was not consulted and would not be in attendance.

Fitzgerald told Syd Con that while Wilkins seemed like a “nice bloke,” “he certainly seems to me to have no gravitas and little if any sense of humour.”

But not everybody agrees with the family’s stance. Australian television producer Mark Llewellyn today tweeted: “Humphries would have abhorred these snobs. I once went to a party at Richard’s place where Barry Humphries was one of his guests. Lovely man and clearly happy in the company of a mate. Shove a gladioli up their boycotting bottoms!”

Television commentator Kevin Perry noted that “the family turned their back on his home of Melbourne because they wanted the “Full Sydney Experience”…. Well there is nothing more Sydney than Richard Wilkins!”

Seven entertainment reporter Peter Ford tweeted that “it’s all very unfortunate and obviously not Richard’s fault. . He’s a great M.C.”

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Humphries’ family made headlines the month after his death after they reportedly rejected the offer of a state funeral to be held in his hometown of Melbourne.

It’s understood Humphries and his family were left “unimpressed” by the state government after it didn’t intervene when the late comedian’s name was stripped from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s ‘Barry’ Award in 2019 over his comments about transgender people.

Humphries’ state memorial will be held at the Sydney Opera House on December 15, and will be streamed online.

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