Lily Allen has publicly addressed claims of a smear campaign targeting her (Picture: John Rainford/Cover Images)
Lily Allen has responded to a social media claim that there is a sudden ‘smear campaign’ against her online.
The music artist, 40, has been the talk of the town in recent months after dropping a tell-all album, West End Girl, exposing what happened behind-the-scenes in her marriage with ex David Harbour, 50.
Her explicit songs explored themes around cheating, sex addiction and toxic dynamics within their relationship, which came to a volatile end just a handful of years after their Las Vegas wedding in 2020.
The 45-minute musical odyssey marked a chart-storming return for the Smile singer, seven years after her last release, and she has now embarked on a sold-out visual tour spanning the UK, Ireland, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
The string of highly anticipated live shows kicked off in Glasgow earlier this week in a one-woman spectacle that left fans divided. Some were left dismayed that it solely featured her latest album in a tight 45-minute set.
Meanwhile, others have praised the bold visual direction of the show, which included set pieces and multiple outfit changes.
Her tell-all album about the end of her marriage with David Harbour is now a stage tour (Picture: GC Images)
Her tour – which has raked in mixed reviews – has coincided with a wave of hate on social media (Picture: X/Lily Allen)
The launch of her tour has coincided with an increase in social media vitriol, however, which hasn’t escaped the notice of her or her fans.
‘The way this smear campaign against Lily Allen came out of nowhere,’ X user heroinchictwink wrote.
To which the Price Tag hitmaker replied: ‘Oh it’s coming from somewhere, but we move!’ and then replying to her own post with the follow-up ‘Bots
One aspect of her show that has garnered both positive and negative attention is a dress made up of receipts for items the Stranger Things star brought for other women.
During her song 4chanStan she lists the receipts she found in his drawer, including for a luxury handbag from Bergdorf. At the same time on stage she unravelled the receipt-patterened green fabric.
Even moments from her show, like the receipts dress, are receiving online backlash (Picture: X/PopCrave)
The sudden wave of online backlash has included people accusing her of ‘lacking self-awareness’, her show an ‘unacceptable length’and even going so far as to say they ‘understood’ why her former husband would need to see other women while with the mother-of-two.
Others have bound to her defence, however.
‘I’m not a fan of this Lily Allen slander that’s my mother,’ Bellabestia wrote.
‘Why is everyone pretending to have opinions about Lily Allen,’ another user Speedy questioned.
Some have pointed to her controversial past as a reason why the artist may be receiving criticism, including her accusations of cheating in her first marriage to Sam Cooper resurfacing.
There have been some hating on her, some defending her, and others discussing problematic moments from her past (Picture: Getty)
Other actions she’s been called out for include dressing up as a gynaecologist called Dr Luke for Halloween in 2014, shortly after Kesha accused the music producer of sexually assaulting her.
Lastly, actress Zoe Kravitz has accused the singer of ‘attacking her’ after she recounted the pair had kissed in her memoir.
The sudden influx of interest in the West End star after her album reached stratospheric heights has led to renewed scrutiny of her problematic past.
As for her show, Metro’s four-star review warned that those expecting a concert will be ‘left disappointed’, but you will be treated to a theatrical rendition of her album instead.
‘She hunches over a bed and writhes in pain during Relapse, a song about wanting to feel numb after her relationship breakdown by using drugs and alcohol, and she acts out the opening track’s phone call detailing Harbour’s desire to have an open marriage so convincingly that her voice trembles in sorrow,’ the review reads.
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