Hamish Macdonald made his first television appearance since publicly coming out as gay on Sunday, hosting The Sunday Project alongside Susie Youssef, Chris Bath and Tim Blackwell. The 38-year-old journalist did not address his personal life during the show, focusing instead on news stories such as Ashleigh Barty's French Open win and AFP raids on journalists' homes.
Macdonald came out last Thursday by holding hands with his partner Jacob Fitzroy on the red carpet at GQ's Gentleman's Ball in Melbourne. He later shared a professional photo of the couple on Instagram with a love heart emoji and the hashtag #GQball, receiving supportive comments from followers.
On Saturday, Macdonald thanked fans for their 'love and support' on social media, posting a picture of himself and Jacob kissing in a photo booth with the caption: 'I'm always proud to stand beside my best friend and favourite human.' He added that he hopes one day it won't be newsworthy to hold hands with the person you love.
Macdonald, an outspoken LGBT rights advocate, has featured Fitzroy on his Instagram since April, though the start date of their relationship is unclear. He has previously voiced support for gay youth, including a December 2018 debate on The Project with Steve Price and an October 2018 tweet questioning how schools would determine if a child is gay.
A journalist with over 15 years' experience, Macdonald has worked for WIN, Channel 4, Al Jazeera English and Sunrise. He joined Channel 10 in 2010 and regularly fills in for Waleed Aly on The Project, as well as hosting The Sunday Project.
