Emma Watkins left The Wiggles mainly to spend more time with her family and to focus on her postgraduate (PhD) studies, especially her work combining sign language, dance, and film. She has since moved into new children’s projects like her character Emma Memma, which continues her interest in inclusive, sign-language‑rich kids’ entertainment.

Quick Scoop: Why Emma Left

  • Emma said the COVID-19 pandemic made her slow down and think about what mattered most, which turned out to be being at home more instead of touring for much of the year.
  • She wanted to focus on completing her PhD, which explores sign language, dance, and film editing, and how these can better support children who rely on visual communication.
  • After almost a decade as Yellow Wiggle, she felt she had “given The Wiggles everything” and was ready for a new chapter rather than just more touring and filming.

What She Said Publicly

  • In her announcement, Emma explained she was leaving to “spend more time at home” and to devote more time and energy to finishing her PhD and working with the deaf community.
  • In later interviews, she described her decision as a culmination of the pandemic pause, time with family, and her growing academic and creative projects outside the band.

Life After The Wiggles

  • Emma has launched “Emma Memma”, a new children’s character and brand focused on bright colours, dance, music, and accessible communication, including sign language.
  • She has talked about wanting to bring her research back to children “in another way,” using visual communication and simple songs to help both kids and parents learn signs together.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.