Comedian Nikki Osborne has responded to the backlash she received following an interview with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on her podcast, "Bush Deep." Albanese appeared on the podcast on July 3 and was asked to play a game involving choosing between Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, and Rhonda Burchmore for "shag, date or marry." Albanese responded by stating his preference for Minogue, calling her "terrific."
The remarks led to criticism from some colleagues who described the Prime Minister's comments as "locker-room antics." Albanese issued an "unequivocal" apology for the remarks. Three weeks after the episode aired, Osborne published a lengthy poem in The Courier Mail addressing the controversy.
In her poem, Osborne described the initial game as a "silly game" and a "moment taken out of context, some turbo fuel for hate." She detailed receiving aggressive messages on social media, including wishes of harm. Osborne criticized what she termed "agitators and pearl-clutchers" for judging the segment without watching the full podcast, suggesting that international listeners understood the context better.
"Imagine being such a gronk you've decided in your head that jokes are now a greater crime than wishing someone dead," she wrote in the poem, according to the Daily Mail. "The tables turned so rapidly - now anger from the left. Outrage that she played a game had made the woke bereft."
Osborne also noted that even her father-in-law did not want the full story, and that people were not interested in context while she bore the brunt of the criticism. She admitted the intense backlash caused her to question the episode, but kind comments on her YouTube channel offered some solace. Osborne concluded her piece with a plea for critics to watch the entire podcast before engaging in disputes, stating her mantra is: "Don't get mad, get funny."
"Bush Deep with Bushie," hosted by Osborne, bills itself as a podcast featuring a "wildly inappropriate viral sensation from the bush" who "tears her way across Australia in search of a good yarn." The podcast has previously featured interviews with radio presenter Wippa, actor Colin Mochrie, and chef Manu Feildel.