Australian comedian Dave Hughes has publicly apologized for a past incident in which he urinated in a fellow comedian's drinking glass, stating he will no longer engage in the "disgusting" habit. The admission follows a resurfaced claim by comedian Melanie Bracewell, who detailed the incident on TikTok.
Hughes, 55, appeared on Nova 96.9's Ricki-Lee & Tim radio show on Thursday to address the controversy. He explained the incident occurred in 2022 during the Melbourne Comedy Festival, where a lack of backstage facilities led him to use a glass as a makeshift toilet shortly before a performance. He stated that he believed he was alone and not exposing himself to anyone at the time.
"Then you walk to the toilet holding the glass and people get selfies with you holding a glass of your own urine!" Hughes recounted. He later discovered the glass belonged to another performer at the venue.
Bracewell had claimed on TikTok that Hughes regularly urinated in glasses used by performers and that wait staff had to clean them up. Hughes confirmed to the Daily Mail that Bracewell's account was true but emphasized that he only resorted to the practice when no toilet was accessible backstage and he feared having an accident on stage.
"I've done it maybe four times in my life before solo shows when the backstage had no toilet... I didn't want to wet myself onstage," Hughes said. He clarified that he would never do so if others were present.
Hughes added that he had not thought about the incident in years until Bracewell brought it up publicly. He mentioned that other comedians, including Peter Helliar, had previously joked about it with him. Hughes stated he had asked Bracewell to roast him about the incident on his radio show, and they all found it humorous at the time, leading him to believe she was not as "aghast" as her public comments suggested. He indicated that he supported her tour and TV show afterward.
Despite the past humor, Hughes has now vowed to stop the practice entirely. "I'll never do it again... I only did it a couple of times!" he told the radio hosts, acknowledging the public's negative reaction to his confession.