Australian Prime Minister Apologises For Kylie Minogue Comment

The prime minister of Australia has apologised for comments he recently made about one of the country’s most famous residents, Kylie Minogue, on a podcast.

Last week, Anthony Albanese was interviewed by comedian Nikki Osborne on the podcast Bush Deep, where the host asked if he would “shag, marry or date” the famous Australian entertainers Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman or Rhonda Burchmore.

Initially, Albanese tried to swerve the question, but eventually said “oh, Kylie, clearly” as a response to “all of the above”.

“She’s terrific,” he then enthused.

His responses were met with immediate backlash, with senator Sarah Henderson describing them as “disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians and demean the office of prime minister”.

Australian MP Zali Steggall also said the comments were “entirely inappropriate”, saying that Albanese “needs to learn to push back” and should have led “by example” and “call[ed the question] out as sexist”.

Responding to the controversy in a statement on Monday, Albanese said (as reported by BBC News): “I apologise unequivocally for the comments.”

Albanese is presently out of the country on an official visit, with Richard Marles acting as prime minister in his absence.

Speaking to Australia’s ABC Radio National about the media furore surrounding Albanese’s remarks, Marles said: “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.”

HuffPost UK has contacted Kylie Minogue’s representatives for additional comment.