Magda Szubanski’s Next Public Appearance Will Feel Very Different — As She Opens Up About a Deeply Personal Story With Her Mother
Magda Szubanski is getting ready to step back into the public eye once again, just weeks after delighting viewers with an unexpected appearance at the TV Week Logies.
But when the beloved Kath & Kim star returns to the stage in October, the occasion will carry a very different meaning.
Rather than another light-hearted television moment, Magda will be opening the door to one of the most personal chapters of her life — her relationship with her late mother, Margaret, and the experience of caring for her towards the end of her life.
A very different return to the spotlight
Magda is scheduled to appear at the Sydney Opera House on October 4 to discuss her new memoir, I Can’t Tell You But I Will.
She revealed the upcoming appearance on Instagram on September 6, telling followers how much she had enjoyed being back in public recently.
That feeling was especially clear during her appearance at the Logies alongside Robert Irwin, which Magda described as a special experience.
But the upcoming event will shift the focus away from the fun of awards night and towards a much quieter and more personal story.
Her mother is at the heart of the new memoir
Magda has explained that the memoir explores both the challenges and treasured moments that came while caring for her mother Margaret.
It also looks more broadly at the complicated relationship that can exist between mothers and daughters — something Magda believes may resonate with anyone who has cared for an ageing parent or another loved one.
For Magda, that period brought together emotions that did not always sit comfortably beside each other.
There was exhaustion and difficulty, but also closeness, love and moments she came to value deeply.
She described the experience as both extraordinarily difficult and rewarding, admitting there were times when it felt overwhelming while also knowing there was nowhere else she would have wanted to be.
A story she has carried for years
This is not the first time Magda has spoken about what those months meant to her.
During a 2018 interview with Andrew Denton, she described that period as the toughest year of her life, with her mother’s declining condition weighing heavily on her.
At the same time, Magda was also heavily involved in campaigning for marriage equality.
Looking back, she acknowledged just how much the combination had taken out of her.
But years later, those memories have become part of something she is now ready to share more fully.
Laughter sits alongside the difficult memories
Despite the emotional subject matter, Magda has made it clear that the book is not defined only by sadness.
She says it contains both laughter and tears, reflecting the complicated reality of family life rather than presenting one simple version of the relationship she shared with her mother.
That balance appears to be an important part of what she hopes readers will take from the memoir.
Magda said she hopes people who recognise something of their own family experiences in the story may find a sense of comfort in its pages.
Her recent Logies appearance carried a different energy
The upcoming conversation follows Magda’s return to the Logies stage alongside Robert Irwin.
That appearance showed a lighter side of her return to public life, and Magda later spoke warmly about how much she enjoyed the experience.
Her next appearance, however, will place her in a very different setting.
Instead of an awards-show moment, she will be speaking about memories that reach much further back — and about a relationship that helped shape her long before audiences knew her as one of Australia’s most recognisable performers.
A new chapter after a difficult period
The event also arrives after a challenging period in Magda’s own life.
She revealed in 2025 that she had been diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, and earlier this year said she was in remission.
Magda has spoken appreciatively about the support she received during that experience, but her upcoming appearance appears set to look beyond her own recent circumstances.
This time, the story at the centre of the stage will largely belong to her mother.
And after years of carrying those memories privately, Magda is preparing to share more about the love, complexity and difficult moments behind a relationship that remained deeply important to her.