"She's making me look like a Victorian schoolmistress": Robbie Williams tells Olivia Rodrigo to tone down the swearing amid comparisons to their songs
"She's making me look like a Victorian schoolmistress": Robbie Williams tells Olivia Rodrigo to tone down the swearing amid comparisons to their songs
Gladys Altamarino Tue, November 10, 2026 at 1:56 AM UTC
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Robbie Williams has urged Olivia Rodrigo to cut back on her swearing after joking that her frequent use of profanity is making him look overly prim and proper.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Monday, Nov. 9, the British singer defended Rodrigo amid online comparisons between her Christmas release, Take Me Home (4 Christmas), and his 2012 song Candy.
Some listeners had accused the pop star of copying elements of his track, but Robbie Williams dismissed the possibility of taking legal action.
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Robbie Williams described Rodrigo as “f****** brilliant” and said he had no intention of suing her over the perceived musical similarities.
“It sounds to me as though she may have accidentally stumbled across a musical echo of mine in one of her new songs. And do you know what? I couldn’t care less. I’m not going after her. Because I think at some point, some f****** sanity has to prevail.”
He also criticized artists and rights holders who pursue legal action over similarities between songs, describing such cases as “ambulance chasing” and “disgusting.”
Robbie Williams comments on Olivia Rodrigo’s colorful language: “Please stop swearing so much”
In his social media post, Robbie Williams also poked fun at Olivia Rodrigo’s colorful language, given that he himself swears a lot.
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“I cannot believe how much she swears on stage. And that’s coming from me. I’m a Sweary Mary, but she’s making me look like a Victorian schoolmistress.”
He also brought up Olivia Rodrigo’s swearing again as he ended his post.
“Olivia, if you’re reading this, I think you’re f****** brilliant. But please stop swearing so much. It makes me feel like I have to keep up. And frankly, I’m already swearing far more than is necessary.”
Meanwhile, Robbie Williams argued that pop music draws on a shared musical history, with artists inevitably producing sounds resembling earlier releases.
He pointed out that there are only so many notes and that musicians build on the work of those who came before them.
“Music has been around for a very long time. We’re all going to bump into each other eventually.”
The singer's comments followed Olivia Rodrigo's release of Take Me Home (4 Christmas) on Nov. 5. Online discussions quickly focused on its alleged resemblance to Candy, prompting Williams to address the comparisons publicly.
He concluded his message by defending creative freedom, writing:
“If we keep punishing people for accidentally arriving somewhere somebody else has already been, eventually we’re going to frighten the creativity out of everyone.”
Also Read: What was on Olivia Rodrigo's full Daisy Chain Fields setlist? Song lineup revealed as pop star brings out Stevie Nicks and more
Also Read: "You've grown so much as a person": Olivia Rodrigo praises Gracie Abrams for her artistic growth on Daughter From Hell
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
