Robbie Williams has taken aim at a podcaster who brutally labelled him a ‘fraud’.
This week the hosts of the podcast Theworldcupof – a show which has just over 14,000 followers on Instagram – shared a clip in which they launched a brutal takedown of the singer, who rose to fame as part of Take That.
In a series of scathing remarks, one of the hosts said Robbie ‘got lucky being in Gary Barlow’s band’ and told the singer directly: ‘You’re not a rockstar, you’re a fraud.’
Their comments came after Robbie, 52, performed a tribute to the late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne at the Brit Awards in February, whilst fellow musician Yungblud did the same at the MTV Awards in September last year.
Discussing the performances, the podcast hosts declared: ‘Oh, you’re a rock star. No you’re f***ing not. You’re like Yungblud, mate.’
One continued: ‘You’re a fraud. He’s just a f***ing Redcoat who queued up to be in Gary Barlow‘s band and got lucky.’
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A Redcoat is the name given to holiday entertainers at Butlins, who wear red jackets.
The podcaster continued: ‘Robbie Williams never been a fan of him. I think it was the year before, I think he attended Glastonbury with bleached blond hair, knocked about with Liam Gallagher, probably just shared a big bag of f***ing gear.
‘Nicked his credibility because he shared gear with him and all of a sudden – the Emperor’s New Clothes kind of thing – like, oh, right, you’re a rock star. No you’re f***ing not. You’re like YungBlud, mate. You’re a fraud.’
However, after seeing the clip pop up online, Robbie took his chance to deliver a comeback.
‘My algorithm sent me this. I went to Glastonbury because people my age went to Glastonbury. I’ve never called myself a rock star. Not once. I was on the bag. You end up where you end up.
‘I grew up on holiday camps. What’s wrong with being a Redcoat? Or lucky? I know exactly who and what I am. You, however, display a kind of cruelty that doesn’t even recognise itself. Scary. I’m a real Redcoat. You’re a real bully. I know which one I’d rather be.’
He then clapped back and concluded by writing: ‘One day I’d like to show you around one of my houses, so you can see exactly how lucky I’ve been. You’ll have an aneurysm. I’ll send my plane to pick you up.’
Although the hosts tried to launch a further takedown and made a comment about Robbie ‘lining up to be in a boy band’, the celebrated singer got plenty of backing from his fans.
‘Such a completely reductive and depressing outlook; the snobbery of the “redcoat” comment, taking up time to talk down a (record breaking) career in the entertainment industry rather than celebrating something or someone you do actually admire – it just seems like something that’s maybe acceptable when you’re teenagers but a bit embarrassing in middle age,’ user ladyinblue 24 commented.
‘@robbiewilliams has a huge amount to take pride in professionally, something he can look back on and share with his loved ones – surely that’s worth more than spending your time making snarky (and factually inaccurate) comments about other people’s work? Luck gets you in the right room at the right time, talent keeps you there,’ she added.
‘Hate music snobs like this. Live and let live, if others enjoy it, what harm is it doing you? The energy you put into the world is what comes back to you…’ RewindRobbie added.
‘Redcoat or not, you’re still number one. Let’s see if these bullies can get a Guinness World Record,’ Mica also wrote.
Others called the hosts ‘snarky and bitter’ and said they were ‘being horrible just for the sake of it’.
Robbie rose to fame as part of Take That from 1990 until 1995, when he then left to launch a solo career.
Throughout his career he’s achieved seven UK No. 1 singles, and all but one of his 14 studio albums have reached No. 1 in the UK. He’s also sold an estimated 75-80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The musician is also estimated to be worth around £220million.
In a recent interview with Esquire, he declared that money gave him the ability to ‘sit on my sofa with a cashmere caftan on, growing a beard, looking like a murderer, smoking weed, watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and looking for UFOs in the evening’.
‘It made me lazy. But it also gave me enough space for me to realize, man, you need to do something with your life. I was thirty-two.’
‘Fame won’t fix you. Success won’t fix you. Purpose kind of fixes you,’ he continued, before adding: ‘The job has given me a creative output that is probably saving my life and helping my mental illness.’
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