Entertainment
Glastonbury viewers unimpressed as BBC cuts Olivia Rodrigo’s fierce Roe v Wade duet with Lily Allen on iPlayer-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro
The language was the issue, according to the BBC.
Olivia Rodrigo’s energetic set included the highlight of Lily Allen as surprise guest (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
Glastonbury viewers at home have been taken aback to discover Olivia Rodrigo’s duet of F*** You with Lily Allen, as well as her impassioned speech on the overturning of landmark case Roe v Wade in America, is missing from coverage on BBC iPlayer.
The Good 4 U chart-topper hit out at the five US Supreme Court Justices whose votes ended the country’s constitutional right to abortion during her Glastonbury set on Saturday.
Welcoming Lily Allen onstage as a surprise guest during her performance on the festival’s Other Stage, they sang her 2009 hit song F*** You in response to the US Supreme Court in America overturning the Roe v Wade decision from 50 years ago.
Olivia had called sharing the stage with Lily ‘the biggest dream come true ever’ while sharing that she was ‘equally as heartbroken’ in her introduction to the song.
She then went on to address Roe v Wade, saying: ‘I’m devastated and terrified and so many women and so many girls are going to die because of this, and I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who showed us at the end of the day they truly don’t give a s**t about freedom.’
‘This song goes out to the Justices,’ she continued, listing Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, the five Justices who voted to overturn Roe v Wade.
The US singer rocked Worthy Farm’s Other Stage (Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Lily joined Olivia for a duet on her 2009 song F*** You, which they dedicated to the US Supreme Court Justices who voted to overturn Roe v Wade (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
As she named them, Smile singer Lily could be seen raising her middle finger defiantly to the crowd each time.
‘We hate you,’ Olivia added, echoed by Lily, before launching into the song, which attracted a lively response from Glastonbury revellers.
However, this section of Olivia’s performance did not make it on to BBC iPlayer’s highlights coverage and individual uploading of her set.
It was, however, added as a duet with its full introduction on YouTube by the broadcaster, and was streamed live with its inclusion on iPlayer, although not pre-watershed TV.
Althought their song is on YouTube, the BBC has omitted it from coverage of Olivia’s set on iPlayer (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
A BBC spokesperson has said that the decision to omit F*** You and its introduction in the highlights was made ‘solely because of the strong language used throughout’.
‘There were no other factors involved in this decision,’ they said, in a statement to Metro.co.uk.
Stars including Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers and IDLES also spoke out against the Roe v Wade ruling during their sets, with their comments being broadcast on the BBC’s platforms.
‘Disgracefully cut from the iPlayer recording of Olivia Rodrigo’s magnificent Glastonbury set. F*** You indeed,’ tweeted one fan while sharing the YouTube version, as others bristled against ‘censorship’.
Billie Eilish was another star criticising the ruling, in comments which remained on BBC platforms (Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
‘The BBC have cut the entire Supreme Court/Lily Allen F*** You chunk from the iPlayer recording of Olivia Rodrigo’s set,’ lamented another.
‘As if the iPlayer have cut the song with Lily Allen from @oliviarodrigo set!! What a joke!!’ commented another one stunned viewer.
‘Lily Allen and Olivia Rodrigo at Glastonbury. Why this was cut from @BBC IPlayer? The Supreme Court decision is far more obscene than mere words,’ argued another person.
US Democratic Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez praised Olivia on Saturday for her words onstage at Glastonbury, saying that it made ‘a huge difference’.
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Lily also shared that she was ‘overwhelmed’ by her duet with Olivia, and said that it was an emotional moment for her returning to Glasto as she approaches three years of sobriety.
Glastonbury Festival continues at Worthy Farm, Somerset with Kendrick Lamar headlining Sunday’s final day. Coverage of the music festival can be found on BBC iPlayer.
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