Molly Meldrum apologises for crashing Logies speech

Susannah Guthrie
Apr 25, 2017, updated Apr 25, 2017

Molly Meldrum was accused of stealing Samuel Johnson's spotlight. Photo: Nine

Molly Meldrum has admitted he got a bit “caught up in the moment” when he delivered an expletive-laden speech at Sunday night’s Logie Awards.

The TV legend took the stage to celebrate actor Samuel Johnson Gold Logie win for his role in the Seven miniseries Molly, about Meldrum’s career.

After Johnson delivered a short speech, he handed the microphone to Meldrum, who proceeded to share a risque anecdote about the actor before awarding him with an honorary golden cowboy hat.

“I profusely apologise if I upset anyone,” Meldrum told News Corp.

“I’m so very proud of Sam. Everyone should be proud of him. His [acceptance] speech for his sister Connie was beautiful and his charity work is simply amazing. He’s gone through a lot lately.

“I wasn’t sure if he’d win the gold, not that he didn’t deserve it, but it took me by surprise and I got a bit caught up in the moment.”

The 74-year-old also responded to social media reaction about his coherency struggles, with many questioning whether he was drunk or suffering speech issues as a result of a 2011 fall that landed him in intensive care.

“[I]f people had problems understanding what I was trying to say, well, that’s nothing new for me,” Meldrum joked.

Meanwhile, Johnson, 38, was unperturbed by the interruption.

“It was [a bit] awkward, but it was classic, vintage Molly,” Johnson said during an appearance on The Project.

Despite his big win, Johnson – who also won the trophy for Best Actor – said he would not renege on his decision to quit acting to focus on fighting cancer. His sister, Connie, is dying from the disease.

“I’m sick of seeing families go down to cancer, that’s my new obsession,” he told media.

“I don’t take promises lightly and I look forward to keeping that one.”