Lily Allen dedicated a rendition of her song Fuck You to Liam Neeson at her show in Sydney last night.
Fuck You – which decries various forms of bigotry, and was originally written about the George Bush administration – has become a staple of Lily’s live shows, and has been performed in recent years in honour of Theresa May and Donald Trump.
However, she made a special dedication for her concert in Sydney, telling fans in the audience: “Normally, I dedicate this song to Donald Trump, but tonight I’m dedicating it to Liam Neeson.”
Prior to the gig, Lily wrote on her Instagram Story that she “didn’t even believe” the Taken actor’s claims, noting: “I don’t know a woman who hasn’t been harassed and I have NEVER heard of an instance where a man has actually gone out to defend her honour. It just doesn’t happen.”
Liam made headlines earlier this week when – after being asked about the ideas of revenge portrayed in his latest film – he shared an alarming story about having walked the streets almost 40 years looking for a black man to “kill”, after his friend revealed to him that she’d been sexually assaulted.
After facing a huge backlash, he clarified his comments in a live interview on Good Morning America, insisting he is “not racist” and recalling: “It really shocked me, this primal urge I had. It shocked me and it hurt me.
“I did seek help, I went to a priest, and I made my confession. And believe it or not, power-walking two hours every day [helped] to get rid of this.”
He also maintained he’d “definitely” have had the same reaction were the rapist not black, claiming: “If she’d have said an Irishman or a Scot or a Brit or a Lithuanian, I know it’d have had the same effect. I was trying to show honour and stand up for my dear friend in this terrible medieval fashion.”
Following the backlash, it was revealed that a red carpet premiere for Liam’s new film had been pulled just hours before it was due to go ahead.