‘Iconic’: Musician Phoebe Bridgers starts foul chant abusing tennis champ Margaret Court during gig

A US star is going viral after starting a foul-mouthed chant abusing controversial Aussie tennis champ Margaret Court.

American superstar Phoebe Bridgers has gone viral after leading a foul-mouthed chant abusing Margaret Court during a gig at the Melbourne arena named in the Aussie sporting great’s honour this week.

The musician was performing at Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday night when she took aim at the 80-year-old tennis champ-turned-pastor, who in recent years has emerged as one of Australia’s most vocal opponents of same-sex marriage.

Turning to the crowd at one point during the night, Bridgers declared: “So, Margaret Court. F*** that stupid***, dumb*** b****. F*** that stupid c***. Change your name!”

Phoebe Bridgers started the chant during her Melbourne gig this week. Picture: TikTok

Margaret Court is one of Australia’s most divisive figures.

She then encouraged the riled-up crowd to chant “F*** Margaret Court!” before continuing: “I think hate is undervalued. I think it’s like a f***ing weird, white supremacist idea that hate is bad, or something?

“You know what I mean? It’s like hate is like what moves things throughout history. I hate that stupid b****!

“Hate is like how you protect yourself. What, are you never supposed to be angry, ever?”

The tirade was soon shared on social media where it immediately went viral, with Bridgers’ fans – and Court’s critics – hailing the move as “iconic”.

“It was the most beautiful moment of my life” one concertgoer raved, while another social media user posted: “Now I’m a fan!” as others called for the venue to be renamed Phoebe Bridgers Arena.

The stunt comes as Court has repeatedly made headlines for her discriminatory views in recent years.

Court won 24 grand slam titles in the 1960s and early 70s in her unparalleled career, including a calendar Grand Slam in 1970.

Protesters pictured outside the Athenaeum club in June 2017, where former Australian tennis player and Christian pastor Margaret Court was the keynote speaker at the second annual St Thomas More Liberal Party fundraising dinner. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

But the achievements of the devout Christian – who founded a Pentecostal church known as the Victory Life Centre in Perth in 1995, and still serves as a senior pastor – have often been overshadowed because of her vocal opposition to same-sex marriage and support of gay conversion therapy.

As a result, there has been ongoing debate about whether to rename Margaret Court Arena after an Australian with less divisive views, while her Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC) award in 2021 also sparked a wave of backlash.

In 2021, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he was “quite sick” of talking about Court every summer and tweeted: “I don’t want to give this person’s disgraceful, bigoted views any oxygen.

“But when others insist on rewarding them with this country’s highest honour – I think it’s worth saying again. Grand Slam wins don’t give you some right to spew hatred and create division. Nothing does.”

While Court’s outspoken views on homosexuality, conversion therapy, same-sex marriage and transgender people have been routinely slammed, she has always doubled down on her hateful comments, insisting she was “making a stand for my beliefs” and “have had a lot of bullying”.

– with Andrew McMurtry

Originally published as ‘Iconic’: Musician Phoebe Bridgers starts foul chant abusing tennis champ Margaret Court during gig