Quick scoop: what Albanese actually said

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sparked controversy after a comedy podcast segment in which he was asked to play a “shag, marry, date” game with three Australian female celebrities. When pressed, he picked Kylie Minogue for all three categories.

The exact exchange (as widely reported)

Host Nikki Osborne asked Albanese to choose between Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, and Rhonda Burchmore in the game.

  • Albanese first hesitated, noting he had “just got married” and was “only six months in.”
  • Osborne pushed with a hypothetical: if his marriage broke down, who would he choose?
  • Albanese replied: “Kylie, clearly.”
  • Osborne then asked: “You’d marry Kylie, and shag her, and date her?”
  • Albanese answered: “All of the above.” He added, “She’s terrific.”

“I apologise unequivocally for the comments.” — Anthony Albanese, in a statement released on Monday, 6 July 2026

Why it blew up

The remark drew swift criticism from opposition lawmakers and women’s rights advocates, who called it disrespectful and inappropriate for a sitting prime minister.

  • Senator Sarah Henderson described the comments as “disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians and demean[ing] the office of Prime Minister.”
  • Women’s rights groups and several MPs condemned the language as crude and sexist, arguing it normalises objectifying remarks about women in public life.

Albanese’s response

Facing mounting backlash, Albanese issued a short, unqualified apology through his office on Monday morning.

  • He said: “I apologise unequivocally for the comments.”
  • He did not elaborate further in the statement, but media reports note his office framed the episode as a lighthearted segment that nonetheless crossed a line.

Context: the podcast and the game

The comments were made on the comedy podcast Bush Deep with host Nikki Osborne, in a rapid-fire, playful segment that also touched on topics like Albanese’s dog and gifts from world leaders.

  • “Shag, marry, date” is a long-standing, informal party game where participants assign each person to one (or more) of the three categories.
  • While common in casual settings, the phrasing is widely understood as vulgar in Australia, which amplified the reaction when used by a head of government about a specific woman.

TL;DR

  • Albanese was asked on a comedy podcast to pick among Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, and Rhonda Burchmore in a “shag, marry, date” game.
  • After initially saying he’d just married, he chose Kylie Minogue for all three (“All of the above”).
  • The remark drew bipartisan criticism and an unequivocal apology from Albanese on 6 July 2026.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.