The Wiggles address “ecstasy” song controversy in new statement
The Australian children’s band The Wiggles have issued an official statement after they were the centre of a viral TikTok video that included a song alluding to drug usage.
Musician Keli Holiday, real name Adam Hyde, shared the video, which was soundtracked to the singer’s recent single ‘Ecstasy’.
The song contains lyrics such as ‘You and your pocket full of ecstasy’ and ‘Looking for a bang pop’, about the popular party drug, MDMA.
The since-deleted clip was filmed at the TikTok Awards earlier this month. It depicts Anthony Field (also known as the Blue Wiggle) and Dominic Field (known as the Wiggles’ Tree of Wisdom) dancing to the new single.
In reaction, the band released a statement which denounced the popular video. Speaking to The West Australian, the group began, “We understand that a video circulating on social media has caused concern for many parents and professionals, and we want to address that directly.”
They continued, “The Wiggles do not support or condone the use of drugs in any form. The content being shared was not created or approved by us, and we have asked for it to be removed.”
They then addressed the musician who uploaded the video, who is also a member of the band Peking Duk: “While Keli Holiday (Adam Hyde) is a friend of The Wiggles, the video and the music added to it were created independently and without our knowledge.”
Surprisingly, this isn’t the only ongoing controversy in The Wiggles universe. In August, it was reported that the former Wiggles CEO, Luke O’Neill, claimed that Blue Wiggle, real name Anthony Field, “undermined him” in front of other staff.
He also alleged that Field excluded him from a meeting with Kmart when discussing the potential sale of Wiggles toys.
As such, O’Neill moved to sue Wiggles Holdings Pty Ltd, Field, and general counsel Matthew Salgo for not being paid a bonus for his work, and for other alleged breaches of the Fair Work Act.
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