Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued an unequivocal apology after comments he made during a podcast appearance sparked widespread criticism and prompted accusations that his remarks were inappropriate for the country’s leader.

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The controversy stems from an appearance on comedian Nikki Osborne’s Bush Deep podcast, where Albanese took part in a light-hearted but increasingly controversial conversation that quickly made headlines across Australia.

During the 20-minute interview, Osborne asked the prime minister to play a version of the familiar “sh*g, marry or date” game, naming pop icon Kylie Minogue, actress Nicole Kidman and entertainer Rhonda Burchmore as his options.

Albanese initially attempted to avoid answering.

“I’ve just got married, I’m only six months in,” he said.

Osborne, however, continued to press him for an answer.

Eventually, Albanese replied: “Oh, Kylie, clearly.”

Osborne then responded: “You’d marry Kylie, and shag her, and date her?”

Without hesitation, Albanese answered: “All of the above. She’s terrific.”

The exchange immediately attracted criticism after the episode was released, with political opponents and independent MPs arguing that the comments were beneath the office of prime minister and disrespectful towards women.

In a brief statement released on Monday through his office, Albanese sought to draw a line under the controversy.

“I apologise unequivocally for the comments,” he said, BBC News reports.

The apology came just days after the interview was published and follows mounting pressure from across the political spectrum.

Independent MP Zali Steggall was among those to condemn the exchange, describing the remarks as “entirely inappropriate”. She added that Albanese “needs to learn to push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist”.

Shadow Communications Minister Sarah Henderson was equally critical, writing on X that the comments were “disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians and demean the office of Prime Minister.”

The podcast itself is hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne, whose website describes her as a “wildly inappropriate journalist” who asks “questions no one else would dare”. Osborne is best known for posting crude comedy sketches on YouTube and launched the Bush Deep podcast earlier this year.

The interview was recorded inside the prime minister’s official residence in Canberra before being released at the end of last week.

The controversial game was not the only moment from the interview to attract attention.

Osborne also asked Albanese whether he and his wife, Jodie Haydon, were still “bonking like rabbits.”

Responding with humour, Albanese said: “Well, you know, when we have time.”

He then joked: “After the footy. After the footy. It’s always a good aphrodisiac, a Souths win,” referring to his beloved National Rugby League club, the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Osborne asked Albanese about the strangest gift he had received during an overseas visit.

The prime minister recalled receiving two melons from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, describing the present as “strange” but ultimately “quite good”.

Osborne then joked: “She just came in looking like Pamela Anderson?”

Albanese responded by smiling and waggling his hands in front of his chest.

The fallout from the interview continued into Monday while Albanese was visiting Pacific nations, leaving Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles to respond to questions about the controversy.

Speaking to ABC’s Radio National Breakfast programme, Marles defended the government’s broader record on gender equality while acknowledging the scrutiny surrounding the interview.

“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,” Marles said.

The Australian government has also stressed that it remains “utterly committed” to the elevation of women in society.

Featured image credit: YouTube/BushDeep/Instagram/KylieMinogue (screenshots)