Australian PM Albanese Apologises After Sexist Joke About Kylie Minogue Sparks Outrage

The uproar began when Albanese appeared as a guest on the podcast Bush Deep, hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne. At the end of the show, Osborne challenged the Prime Minister to a game of ‘Shag, Marry, Date’, presenting him with three iconic Australian divas: Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, and Rhonda Burchmore. Albanese initially tried to deflect the question by citing his recent marriage, laughing, ‘I just got married.’ However, when pressed by the host with a hypothetical scenario, he eventually responded, ‘Oh, definitely Kylie.’ When Osborne further teased, ‘You would marry Kylie, shag her, and date her?’, Albanese firmly replied, ‘All of the above.’ The casual conversation did not stop there. In the same episode, Albanese also made offhand remarks about his personal life with his wife, Jodie Haydon, joking that a victory by his favourite rugby team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, was a powerful aphrodisiac. Once the episode aired, the recording quickly went viral, triggering a wave of criticism. Realising the situation had become untenable, Albanese released an official statement to quell the uproar, choosing not to prevaricate and admitting his mistake. ‘I apologise unconditionally for those comments,’ he said through his office. Despite the apology, female politicians in the Australian parliament were furious, arguing that a prime minister should not participate in a game that objectifies women. Independent MP Zali Steggall stated that Albanese’s actions did not reflect the conduct of a leader. ‘He should learn to say no, set a good example, and have the courage to state firmly that this is sexist behaviour,’ Steggall said. Harsher criticism came from the opposition, with Senator Sarah Henderson asserting that Albanese had diminished the dignity of his office and entered a gutter dialogue. ‘Instead of politely declining to engage, Mr Albanese descended into the gutter with his filthy comments, showing extremely poor judgement at a time when trust in the Labor Party is plummeting,’ Henderson said.