Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe has defended Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Joe Rogan‘s podcast, describing the political landscape he faces as a ‘conga line of stupidity.’
Crowe’s remarks came after Rogan bluntly asked, ‘What is wrong with the way Australia is run?’ during an episode of the world’s most popular podcast.
In response, Crowe praised Albanese as a leader and criticised political opponents and media figures for creating distractions from the Prime Minister’s achievements.
‘We’re a little bit lucky at the moment, we have a Prime Minister who is very much motivated by trying to help everybody, which should be the job of a politician right? To improve the lives of the people they represent,’ he told Rogan.
‘He’s inherited a conga line of stupidity that was going on, and he’s trying to fix things.
‘There’s haters on every corner, but he’s a good man.’
Crowe called out Opposition Leader Sussan Ley for attacking Albanese over his choice of wearing a Joy Division T-shirt after returning from overseas, dismissing it as an irrelevant distraction from the PM’s successful international achievements.
‘He arrives off a plane the other day, he’s just came back from some very successful international meetings where he’s established various trade things and opportunities for Australia,’ he said.
Actor Russell Crowe (pictured) defended Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during an interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast
Podcast host Joe Rogan (pictured) asked the Oscar winner what is wrong with Australia
‘He gets off the plane wearing a Joy Division shirt, big band from his youth, and he’s just a relaxed character. He’s been wearing a suit and tie for weeks on the road.
‘The member of the opposition wanted to point out, and did so in parliament, that Joy Division is a Nazi term and comes from a section of a particular camp where the women were prostituted… and it’s like okay, what’s the point of that.
‘We all know it’s a band name. Just because you like the Rolling Stones doesn’t mean you want rocks to be falling on people. What are you f***ing talking about?’
Speaking in Parliament last Tuesday, Ley said the band’s name was ‘taken from the wing of a Nazi concentration camp where Jewish women were forced into sexual slavery.’
‘At a time when Jewish Australians are facing a rise in antisemitism, the Prime Minister chose to parade an image derived from hatred and suffering,’ she said.
‘This is not a slip of judgment, and he cannot claim ignorance,’ she said. ‘He was told about the dark origins of this band on a podcast in 2022. He knew, he understood, and still he wore the T-shirt.’
Crowe said politicians were constantly attacked over trivial matters.
‘Picking up some pointless piece of minutiae and lighting it on fire and making a smokescreen to cover up the reality of the fact that the Prime Minister just worked his ass off on behalf of the country and successfully achieved a bunch of things.’
Opposition leader Sussan Ley slammed Albanese for wearing the Joy Division shirt (picture) when returning to Sydney
Ley (pictured) referred to the band’s name, which references a Nazi prison camp name
The episode has been viewed 1.2million times on YouTube alone.
Crowe and Albanese share a common passion – the South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL side – which Crowe co-owns, and the PM is the most prominent supporter of.
Asked about the exchange on KIIS FM on Monday morning, the Prime Minister told hosts Jackie O and Kyle Sandilands he had been in touch with the Gladiator actor to thank him.
‘He’s a great guy, and it was very good of him,’ Albanese said.
‘He obviously didn’t have to do that. I wasn’t aware that he’d done it till it popped up on my feed. Someone drew it to my attention and sent it to me.
‘I just, you know, sent him a text message to say, thank you for your generous comment.’
