Nikki Osborne

A stand-up comedian, broadcaster, actor, TV host, improv artist, podcaster and writer, Nikki Osborne is so much more than a pretty face. Regarded as one of the quickest brains in the industry, her comedy chops have earned her regular cast roles in sketch comedy series Kinne and Mick Molloy’s The Nation, Peter Helliar’s How to Stay Married, and as narrator on the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA)-Nominated (Best Comedy Entertainment Program, 2020) Drunk History.

A hugely popular and engaging social media presence, Nikki’s regular sketches and characters like Angry Aunt and Bush Barbie have earned her over one million followers and one hundred million views on her content, while her weekly national columns for News Corp are some of the most clicked of that syndicate’s publications.

Nikki has in the two decades since landing a role early in her career in the Sam Neill-helmed Jessica, collected TV and movie credits including starring turns as Delvene Delaney in the Paul Hogan miniseries Hoges (The Paul Hogan Story), and as Natalie Wood’s best friend Jackie Estes in The Mystery of Natalie Wood.

As host of the interactive game show Quizmania, Nikki gained over three hundred hours of live national television experience and a cult following who are still with her today. She hosted the lifestyle show Find Me a Dream Home on Channel Nine and was a weekly commentator on Seven’s National News. When her wildly popular Bush Barbie character proved to be a viral hit worldwide, Nikki created, wrote, directed and starred in her TV own pilot, with the hilarious Bush Barbie vs The World airing in Network Ten’s Pilot Week.

As well as a sought-after sketch artist, Nikki is a frequent guest on comedy panel and entertainment shows including Hughesy We Have a Problem and Show Me The Movie, and has appeared as celebrity guest for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Celebrity Name Game and Celebrity Mastermind. In February of 2024 the Seven Network unveiled the star-studded lineup of the twenty-first season of hit dancing competition TV show Dancing With The Stars, with Nikki joining the celebrities vying for the charity of their choice and a chance to win the iconic Mirror Ball Trophy. Nikki made it all the way through to the Grand Finale, placing fourth of the twelve celebrity dancers.

When mother-of-two Osborne’s son was diagnosed with autism, she instinctively turned to humour – taking up writing funny posts to put a positive spin on her reality. They proved so popular that she was hired to write blogs for an autism-related website with the mission statement to cheer up parents amidst the stress and fear that can come with a diagnosis. This in turn led to Nikki creating her 2018 debut solo stand-up comedy show On The Spectrum. The autobiographical show, intended to show the lighter side of parenting a child with autism, made national and international press after sparking a debate about whether some topics should be off-limit in comedy – a debate that has since expanded into a frequent discussion in the media worldwide.

This impressive debut was a warmly received sell-out, winning over sceptical audiences and launching Osborne firmly into the stand-up comedy spotlight. The industry respect Nikki has earned since that breakout show has led to her performing at the Sydney Opera House for four seasons of Just For Laughs’ Australian stand-up showcases for TV, and to host the comedy behemoth’s Uncut showcase from the festival in Montreal. The late show featured the raunchiest late-night laughs from the biggest names at the and aired on Network Ten.

With her third boundary-crossing live show Bad Barbie having collected accolades for her openness, honesty, genius ad-libbing and heckler smackdowns, Nikki took it abroad in 2023, selling out shows in her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut.

In 2024 it was announced that Nikki would be joining the Nova 106.9 Brisbane Breakfast team as part of the brand new Ash, Luttsy & Nikki Osborne Show. Launched in 2025, the addition of Nikki to the team immediately rocketed the show to Brisbane’s #1 Breakfast Show. With a 1.5% jump to a share of 13.6% in just their second survey, the Breakfast dream team added 13,000 listeners to become the market’s most popular breakfast show, where they remained until Nikki left the program at the end of 2025 due to health concerns.

However, she has remained with the Nova Entertainment Network to host the comedy podcast Bush Deep, where she unconventionally and sometimes controversially interviews high-profile figures as her alter ego “Bushie”, with interview guests to date including the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Gold Logie winning TV Host Larry Emdur, and global comedy stars Jim Jefferies and Steph Tolev.

Funny and heartfelt, Osborne is Bad Barbie who tells it like it is, knows exactly where her performance strengths lie and has written a show which caters to them. Funny and filled with warmth.

★★★★★ The Upside News

One hell of a raunchy show. Nikki Osborne is an entertainer in the fullest sense of the word.

★★★★ Lilithia Reviews

A tell-it-like-it-is icon I didn’t grow up with but wish I did. Sassy, smart… a true comedy queen

★★★★ The Iconic Blonde Reviews

Funniest stand-up I’ve seen.

★★★★★ Greg Burns, Capital FM Drivetime (UK)

Fucking hilarious.

Bert Kreischer (USA)