Hollywood star Russell Crowe has come out swinging in defence of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a candid conversation on the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Crowe's Robust Defence of Australian Leadership
When podcast host Joe Rogan posed the question "What is wrong with Australia?" to the Oscar-winning actor, Crowe delivered a swift and passionate response that challenged the premise entirely. The Australian icon asserted that Australians are "lucky at the moment" and pointed to political distractions obscuring genuine progress.
Crowe praised the Prime Minister's motivations, stating "We have a Prime Minister who's very much motivated by trying to help everybody" and emphasised that this should be the fundamental role of any politician. He highlighted Albanese's efforts to improve the lives of Australians despite having "inherited a conga line of stupidity" from previous administrations.
The Joy Division Shirt Controversy
The conversation turned to recent political attacks on Albanese, particularly focusing on criticism from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley regarding the Prime Minister's choice of clothing during international diplomacy. Crowe referenced Albanese wearing a Joy Division shirt featuring the album cover of Unknown Pleasures, which Ley had attacked as "displaying the wrong values" by claiming the band name referenced Nazi terminology.
Crowe dismissed this criticism with evident frustration, stating "We all know it's a band name, right?" and drawing a comparison to the Rolling Stones to highlight the absurdity of the political attack. He described the Prime Minister as a "relaxed character" who had been wearing formal attire for weeks during diplomatic missions.
Political Smokescreens and International Achievements
The Gladiator star accused some media and political figures of creating "smokescreens" to distract from the Prime Minister's substantial international accomplishments, including his positive meeting with US President Donald Trump. Crowe characterised these political tactics as "picking up some pointless piece of minutiae and lighting it on fire" to obscure the reality of the government's work.
In his closing remarks, Crowe delivered a powerful endorsement of the Prime Minister's efforts, stating that Albanese "should be patted on the back, not pushed down the stairs" for his hard work representing Australia on the global stage and achieving concrete results for the nation.
