Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologized “unequivocally” on Monday for insinuating in a recent podcast that he would “shag”—a vulgar term that means to have sex with—pop star Kylie Minogue.
The Prime Minister’s office issued a brief statement Monday in response to backlash over Albanese’s appearance on a local comedian’s July 3 podcast episode, in which he was asked to answer which Australian entertainer he would “shag, marry, date” among Minogue, actress Nicole Kidman, and singer-actress Rhonda Burchmore.
Albanese, who married his partner, Jodie Haydon, in November 2025 and became the country’s first leader to marry while in office, initially appeared to evade the question, citing his recent wedding. But when pressed further, the Australian leader said, “Oh, Kylie, clearly.”
When podcast host Nikki Osborne clarified, “You’d marry Kylie, shag her, and date her?” Albanese replied, “All of the above.”
Osborne asks her other guests the same question, though the individuals offered as response options typically vary. Albanese’s exchange was met with criticism from Australian parliamentarians.
Zali Steggall, a member of the newly-formed Community Strong Australia party, told The Australian newspaper that it was “entirely inappropriate for the Prime Minister to participate in such a game,” adding that Albanese “needs to learn to push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist.”
In a statement on social media, Sarah Henderson, opposition Senator for the state of Victoria, said Albanese’s “whisky-fueled” comments were “disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians and demean the office of Prime Minister,” adding that the leader “got into the gutter with his grubby remarks.”
Another Senator from the opposition, Maria Kovacic, told Sky News Australia that Albanese’s remarks were a “pretty poor error in judgment” and that “there are so many more important things that we should be talking about.”
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