Beloved Australian performer, best-selling author, and TV WEEK Logies Hall of Fame inductee, Magda Szubanski, will release a memoir in September 2026.

Magda’s memoir, titled I Can’t Tell You But I Will, is her second novel. Her first memoir, Reckoning, focused on her childhood and her father and his espionage activities in wartime Poland. It won numerous awards, including the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year in 2016.

Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett described the memoir as, “‘A brave and tender book about everything that matters most in life.’

“Magda’s memoir is a moving exploration of her relationship with her Polish Resistance hero father. Reckoning is a quest and, in a sad but satisfying way, Magda does find what she’s seeking,” was how The Australian Women’s Weekly reviewed her first memoir.

This time, Magda’s new memoir will focus on how she nursed her sick mother. While also becoming the face of the marriage-equality campaign.
Actor, comedian and Gay Marriage advocate Magda Szubanski poses prior to the result announcement on November 15, 2017 in Sydney. (Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images)
“2017 was the year I finally grew up,” Magda said in a statement. “My mother was dying, and I was catapulted into the forefront of a bitter cultural and political battle: the same-sex marriage survey.”

“I Can’t Tell You But I Will is the true tale of how I came to understand the unseen powers that shape our world, and learned how to stand up to them while staying true to your soul and to the people you speak for.”

“Most of all, though, it is a eulogy for my beloved mother, Margaret: like my Celtic ancestors, I am ‘keening’ her life, singing of the terrible beauty of caring for someone you love as they die.”

“This is the story of how I went from comedian to campaigner, from daughter to orphan, and from naïve idealist to pragmatic warrior.’”

Keening is a practice in Ireland; it comes from the Irish word for crying: caoineadh (pronounced kween-na). It was a mourning practice at wakes or by gravesides when women, often professional keeners, wailed in raw, rhythmic laments. For a modern interpretation, listen to The Cranberries’ song, “Zombie“.

In February 2026, Magda revealed that she was in remission from cancer.

“Seems I’m not dead,” she said on Instagram. In May 2025, Magda first shared that she was diagnosed with a rare and fast-moving blood cancer. She kept her fans updated throughout her cancer journey, sharing regular updates on her social media accounts. So it was only fitting that she shared her remission news there as well.

“Thank you! I’m alive! 🤔 I love you. DON’T believe anything unless you see it HERE on my instagram feed or from a reputable news source. Sending all my love and strength to anyone going through health challenges,” she captioned her video.

Watch the video below: