Charlie Pickering

Charlie Pickering
Born	(1977-08-29) August 29, 1977 Melbourne, Australia
Occupation(s)	Comedian, television and radio host, writer, producer
Years active	1998–present
Known for	The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, The Project, Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, Tomorrow Tonight

Charlie Pickering (born 29 August 1977) is a multifaceted Australian entertainer, known for his work as a comedian, television and radio host, writer, and producer.

Presently, Pickering leads the weekly satirical news program The Weekly with Charlie Pickering broadcast on the ABC, along with its yearly special edition, The Yearly with Charlie Pickering. He also shares hosting duties on Tomorrow Tonight alongside Annabel Crabb and Adam Liaw.

Previously, he served as a co-host on the current affairs show The Project, was the Friday presenter for Breakfast on ABC Radio Melbourne, and held the position of "Generation X" team leader on the quiz program Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.

Early career

Following his departure from a legal profession, Pickering made his comedy festival debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) in 2002 with Michael Chamberlin in the show Boiling Point, which earned the Piece of Wood Award. Before this, he performed with the sketch ensemble Enter the Datsun at MICF during 1998, 1999, and 2002. In 2003, Pickering and Chamberlin returned with Boiling Point 2, while also appearing in Equal Third alongside Terri Psiakis. He took part in Revolver in 2004.

In 2005, Pickering introduced his show Betterman at MICF and toured New Zealand where he secured the Best International Act award from the New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards; he was also nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The following year, his performance in Auto garnered a nomination for the Barry Award. During the April 2013 MICF, he co-hosted a series entitled The World's Problems Solved with Waleed Aly.

Television

In 2008, Pickering co-hosted The Mansion on The Comedy Channel, which aired for 13 episodes. He was the host of season three of Channel V's mobile game show, Cash Cab. Between 2009 and 2012, he appeared as a team captain representing Generation X on Network Ten's quiz show Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.

In July 2009, Pickering joined Network Ten's infotainment series The Project as a co-host alongside Carrie Bickmore and Dave Hughes. He departed from the program in March 2014 to explore new opportunities. In April 2015, he launched a weekly comedy and news satire show on ABC, titled The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. In 2018, he co-hosted ABC’s Tomorrow Tonight with Annabel Crabb.

Other television credits include appearances on Rove Live, The Glass House, Today, ABC’s stand-up showcase Stand Up!, the 2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala on Network Ten, as well as spots on '@Seven', Hughesy, We Have a Problem, Show Me the Movie!, Celebrity Name Game, and Would I Lie to You? Australia. In 2025, he competed as a contestant on Claire Hooper’s House Of Games.

Radio

Pickering's involvement in radio began with the youth-oriented station Triple J, where he worked from 2001 until 2003. He also featured as a guest on Fighting Talk broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during 2006 and 2007.

In December 2022, ABC announced Pickering as the Friday host of the Breakfast show on ABC Radio Melbourne, starting January 2023, while Sammy J took over the Monday to Thursday slots. He maintained this position until December 2023, after which Sammy J returned to hosting the program five days a week.

Following Richard Glover's retirement at the close of 2024, Pickering began presenting Thank God It's Friday, a show aired on ABC Radio Melbourne, ABC Radio Sydney, and ABC Radio National.

Literature

In 2010, Pickering released his first book titled Impractical Jokes.

Personal life

Originating from Melbourne, Pickering completed his education at St Leonard's College and Brighton Grammar School. He holds degrees in American History (BA) and Law (LLB) from Monash University.

He is married to author Sarah Krasnostein, and together they have two children. In 2013, Pickering embraced Judaism through conversion.

Political views

During his tenure as co-host on Channel Ten's The Project, Pickering revealed he had voted for the Liberal Party once. Since 2015, he has hosted ABC’s political and cultural satire program The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, which New Matilda characterizes as "a satirical news program with a progressive bent." On this platform, Pickering has advocated for halal certification and marriage equality, while openly criticizing the policies surrounding asylum seeker detention. He has also been outspoken against the Catholic Church, particularly condemning the confidentiality of confessional practices in 2018. In 2019, he satirized those disputing Cardinal George Pell’s conviction in a segment titled "The Pedo Files."

Bibliography

• Pickering, Charlie. Impractical Jokes, Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2010,