Australian PM Anthony Albanese Apologises for Comments on Kylie Minogue

Australian PM Anthony Albanese apologised unequivocally for comments about Kylie Minogue made during a podcast interview, which sparked criticism for being inappropriate and disrespectful to women.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese Issues Apology for Podcast Remarks

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued an unequivocal apology following comments he made about popstar Kylie Minogue during a podcast interview last week.

Albanese appeared on the Bush Deep podcast hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne, who asked him in a 20-minute interview whether he would "shag, marry or date" Minogue, actress Nicole Kidman, or entertainer Rhonda Burchmore.

Initially attempting to avoid the question, Albanese eventually responded,

"Oh, Kylie, clearly"

His remarks were met with immediate criticism. One Member of Parliament described the comments as

"entirely inappropriate"

, while another stated they were

"disrespectful to women... and demean the office of prime minister"

Osborne, known for her crude comedy sketches on YouTube, launched her podcast series earlier this year. Her podcast site characterises her as a

"wildly inappropriate journalist"

who asks

"questions no one else would dare"

In a brief statement released early Monday, Albanese said:

"I apologise unequivocally for the comments"

The interview was conducted at the prime minister's official residence in Canberra and was released at the end of last week.

When Osborne first posed the question, Albanese, who married his partner Jodie Haydon in November, responded,

"I've just got married, I'm only six months in."

However, after further prompting, he added,

"Oh, Kylie, clearly."

Osborne then asked,

"You'd marry Kylie, and shag her, and date her?"

to which Albanese replied,

"All of the above. She's terrific."

Community Strong MP Zali Steggall criticised the remarks as

"entirely inappropriate"

and said Albanese

"needs to learn to push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist"

Shadow Communications Minister Sarah Henderson posted on X that the comments were

"disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians and demean the office of Prime Minister."

Richard Marles, acting prime minister while Albanese is visiting the Pacific, told ABC that the government remains

"utterly committed"

to advancing women's roles in society.

Marles added on ABC's Radio National Breakfast programme,

"From time to time, we obviously do different interviews to the one we are doing now, but I think the other point to make here is that the government that the PM leads is the first in history that has had equality in terms of the number of men and women in cabinet."

During the interview, Albanese was also asked about the most unusual gift he had received on an overseas trip. He mentioned a