Robbie Williams divided ABC viewers on Sunday night, despite bringing down the house at the end of the network’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.
The British pop superstar spared no opportunities to promote his new documentary, Better Man, releasing a cheeky advert mid-set.
It was before his performance in Better Man that Robbie gave a glowing review of his own film of the same name.
‘Some critics call it the movie of the century! “They’re not my words, except they are because I just made them up,” he told the crowd.
Robbie then asked if anyone had seen the film yet and explained that it had been filmed in Australia.
He even changed some of Better Man’s lyrics and sang, “So go see my movie, it’s full of drugs and sex, I got my own biopic, I’m not even dead.”
The move divided viewers, with many upset that ABC, a government-owned and taxpayer-funded television station, was spending a pretty penny on Williams’ performance.
‘Did they pay my taxes for this lazy Robbie Williams set? What the fuck. PR for a movie during a set too? wrote one person in X.
“Robbie Williams is busy posing and promoting himself, how about we sing a song?” another added along with a thumbs down emoji.
“Your tax money working hard on this Robbie Williams performance,” posted another.
‘Robbie Williams on @ABCTV is a new low for this country. “Our tax dollars are going down the fucking drain watching this clown go broke,” said one more.
“And seeing the new year with Robbie Williams sprucing up his new movie in white pants and now covering John Farnham’s You’re the Voice, featuring it as the national anthem,” another agreed.
‘We’re only going to have 25-30 minutes of Robbie Williams. How much and who pays? someone else said.
‘Taxpayers funding Robbie Williams is a strange way to start and end. Absolutely fucked,’ said one more.
‘Damn, how could ABC afford Robbie Williams?’ questioned one viewer tuning in at home.
Others praised the stellar performance and didn’t mind the plug.
“Imagine being so drunk on New Year’s Eve that you’re offended that Robbie Williams is releasing his movie that was filmed and directed by Australians,” one wrote.
“Robbie Williams doesn’t give a damn about the dumb Aussie paying his taxes to this shitty TV station,” one more chimed in.
‘ABC, a non-commercial network that runs a 15-minute promo for Robbie Williams’ new movie just before it starts acting. But you can’t refer to SFS as Allianz Stadium or mention any specific brand of any kind during a broadcast because it’s supposed to remain neutral,” argued one viewer.
“Robbie Williams has saved the ABC,” said another, and someone else posted: “Robbie Williams saves our big event once again.”
“No one entertains better than Robbie Williams – NO ONE,” declared another fan.
Earlier, Robbie began his set with a soulful performance of his smash hit Let Me Entertain You before a dance cover from Land Of A Thousand.
There was a problem at the beginning of their next song, Me And My Monkey, with Robbie losing signal and blaming his band, but Feel came out flawless.
Robbie completed the set with Rock DJ, a cover of You’re The Voice and John Farnham’s Angels.