Bush Deep podcast interview: Anthony Albanese apologises for podcast remarks about Kylie Minogue
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has apologized for comments he made on his podcast about pop star Kylie Minogue.
“I publicly apologize for the comments,” the Prime Minister said in a statement on Monday.
In an interview on the Bush Deep podcast last Friday, the Prime Minister joked about wanting to “make love, marry or date” the Australian artist.
“I just got married, I’ve only been six months old,” he replied.
“But if it goes up… let’s pretend it does,” host Nikki Osborne probed.
“Oh, Kylie clearly,” the Prime Minister said.
“Will you marry Kylie, make love with her, and date her?” Osborne asked.
“All of the above…she is amazing,” agreed Mr. Albanese.
The Prime Minister married his wife Jodie Haydon at his official residence in November 2025, after six years of dating.
He came under criticism last week when Independent Fowler MP Dai Le described the comments as “unbecoming of a gentleman”.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce described Mr Albanese’s comments as “a bit down to earth”.
“I want to go on regular air for a special mention from the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia: people Anthony would want to have sex with,” he said.
“There’s no need for him to play a stupid game. … Like most people, I would avoid the question.”
Opposition leading figure Andrew Bragg also criticized the comments.
“These comments were outside his office. I don’t think he should have said them. It’s good that he apologized, but he shouldn’t have said that in the first place.”
But while deputy prime minister Richard Marles defended Mr Albanese’s record on policies for women, he also said the podcast appearance differed from standard political interviews.
“The government that the prime minister leads is the first government in the nation’s history which has had an equality in terms of the numbers of men and women in cabinet,” he said on ABC Radio.
“Our Prime Minister is very determined about the place of women in our society and the rise of women in our society, and I think this is the serious point that needs to be taken into consideration about the government he leads.”
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek also defended Mr Albanese.
“If what the Prime Minister says is that he’s a fan of Kylie Minogue, I think that puts him (along with) other Australians, including me. I’m a big fan of Kylie too,” he said on Sunrise.
Kylie Minogue has had an active career in the entertainment industry since 1976; She began pursuing a career as a recording artist after breaking out in the mid-’80s with her role as Charlene Mitchell on the long-running series Neighbors.
from AAP
