Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese apologises for remarks about Kylie Minogue

Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese has apologised after drawing controversy over comments he made about Kylie Minogue on a podcast.

The politician released a statement today (6 July) reading: “I apologise unequivocally for the comments.”

It follows Albanese’s appearance on comedian Nikki Osborne’s Bush Deep podcast, where he took part in a rapid-fire round of questions. Asked to play a game of “s**g, marry, date” involving Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore, the prime minister initially declined.

“All of the above. She’s terrific” – Anthony Albanese on whether he’d “s**g, marry, date” Kylie Minogue

“I’ve just got married. I’m only six months in,” he said.

Osborne pressed him to answer, asking: “But if it goes t**s up?”

Albanese eventually chose Minogue. When Osborne suggested: “You’d marry Kylie, and shag her, and date her?”, he replied: “All of the above,” before adding: “She’s terrific.”

The episode, which was released on Friday (3 July), faced criticism over the weekend. Independent MP Zali Steggall described the exchange as “entirely inappropriate”, adding: “He needs to learn to push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist.”

Shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson said the remarks were “disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians and demean the office of Prime Minister”.

Senior Labor minister Tanya Plibersek defended Albanese, citing his record on gender equality. Although she said she had not listened to the full interview, she added: “If what the prime minister is saying is he’s a fan of Kylie Minogue, I guess that puts him in a group with millions of other Australians, including me.”

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles also defended Albanese, telling Australian media the government had a strong record on advancing women’s equality, pointing to its gender-balanced cabinet.

Who is Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese?

Albanese has served as Australia’s prime minister since leading the Australian Labor Party to victory in 2022. He married Jodie Haydon in late 2025 and has previously attracted criticism over LGBTQ+ issues after saying questions on sexuality and gender were “weren’t appropriate” for Australia’s next census.