Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a formal apology Monday morning after his comments about Kylie Minogue on a comedy podcast drew widespread criticism over the weekend.
Albanese had appeared on the Bush Deep podcast, hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne, according to The Guardian. During the appearance, he took part in a game called "shag, marry, date," and nominated Minogue for all three categories in the game, The Guardian reported.
BBC News described the remarks as "inappropriate" and said Albanese faced a wave of criticism in the days that followed. The Guardian reported that the backlash intensified over the weekend before Albanese responded publicly.
In his Monday statement, Albanese described the apology as "unequivocal," according to both The Guardian and BBC News.
The apology came after the Prime Minister's participation in the segment on the comedy program hosted by Osborne prompted sustained public criticism, BBC News said.