Kylie Minogue is popular enough in her home country to spark a genuine political controversy — just ask Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who issued a public apology Monday (July 6) after nominating Minogue for all three categories in a “shag, marry, date” game on a comedy podcast.

Albanese appeared on the Bush Deep podcast with comedian Nikki Osborne in an interview released last week that also covered his dog and gifts from world leaders.

When Osborne pushed Albanese — married to Jodie Haydon for six months — into placing Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore into the categories, he initially resisted before landing on Minogue for the sweep.

“Kylie, clearly,” he said, before confirming: “all of the above… She’s terrific.” Osborne also asked whether Albanese and his wife were “bonking like rabbits,” to which he replied: “Well, when we have time. After the footy. It’s always a good aphrodisiac, a Souths win.”

The comments drew criticism over the weekend from politicians across the aisle, including independent MP Zali Steggall, who told The Australian it was “entirely inappropriate for the prime minister to participate in such a game” and that he should have “push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist.” Liberal shadow minister Sarah Henderson called the remarks “disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians, and demean the office of Prime Minister,” while Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg said they were “beneath his office.”

Albanese’s office responded Monday morning with a one-line statement: “I apologise unequivocally for the comments.” Labor minister Tanya Plibersek defended him without having heard the interview, telling Channel Seven that being “a fan of Kylie Minogue… puts him in a group with millions of other Australians, including me.”

Acting PM Richard Marles noted the podcast format was simply “different” from Albanese’s usual media appearances, pointing to the government’s gender-equality record in cabinet and caucus representation.

Minogue remains one of the most enduring artists in Billboard chart history. She first hit the Hot 100 in 1988 with “The Loco-Motion” (No. 3, 27 weeks on the chart) and returned to the top 10 in 2002 with “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (No. 7, 20 weeks), the lead single from Fever, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — her career-best chart placement.

She has logged 11 total titles on the Billboard 200, including 2010’s Aphrodite (No. 19), and 18 entries on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, among them “Dance Alone” with Sia (No. 8). Her 2023 comeback single “Padam Padam” peaked at No. 7 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and became the first track to win the Grammy for Best Pop Dance Recording; it also reached No. 32 on Pop Airplay, her first appearance on that chart in nearly two decades. She is also set to headline the AFL Grand Final in September.