Pop star Lily Allen has sparked a wave of intense debate after revealing she’s lost track of how many abortions she’s had, admitting candidly, “I used to get pregnant all the time.” Speaking with longtime friend and former TV presenter Miquita Oliver on their joint podcast Miss Me?, the 40-year-old singer opened up in unfiltered detail about her reproductive past. Allen, who has two children, said she’s now on her “third or fourth” contraceptive coil, describing her pre-IUD life as a “complete disaster area.”

“Yeah, I’d get pregnant all the time,” she told Oliver, 41. “All the time.” The conversation quickly turned personal and provocative. Both women acknowledged having had multiple abortions, with Oliver responding: “I’ve had about five too! Lily, I’m so happy I can say that and you can say it and no one came to shoot us down, no judgment. We’ve had about the same amount of abortions.”

Allen even reworked the lyrics of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” mid-conversation, singing: “Abortions I’ve had a few… but then again… I can’t remember exactly how many.” She followed up by estimating: “I think maybe like, I want to say four or five.” Allen recalled one instance in particular, saying: “I remember once getting pregnant and the man paying for my abortion, and me thinking it was so romantic.” Her view on that moment has since changed. “No, I don’t think it’s generous or romantic. Think about that investment — like that’s, how much is it? 500 quid? Kids are a lot more expensive.”

The pair expressed frustration over society’s discomfort with the topic of abortion, particularly when women are open about having more than one. “I felt really embarrassed to even say that I had more than one abortion,” said Oliver. “Why the f*** should I be ashamed? I have had a few.” Allen agreed strongly, taking aim at how some pro-choice discourse often leans on exceptional cases to justify abortions: “It actually irritates me… I’ve seen memes on Instagram from pro-abortion accounts — ‘My aunt had a kid with a disability,’ or ‘it would’ve killed her if she went full term.’ It’s like, shut up! Literally: ‘Don’t want a baby’ is enough reason.”

The singer has been no stranger to controversy. Last year, she made headlines after saying motherhood had “ruined” her pop career. “I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, they totally ruined it,” she said at the time. “I get really annoyed when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can’t.” Allen has two daughters — Ethel, 12, and Marnie, 11 — with ex-husband Sam Cooper. She also reflected on her own upbringing, describing how her mother, a film producer, was often absent due to work. “Did it have an effect on us as children? Yes. Was it painful? Yes. But do I hold it against her? No.” Recently, Allen separated from actor David Harbour following reports of his infidelity. She’s since been seen kissing actor James Norton at London’s Lido Festival.

Unsurprisingly, the podcast segment sparked massive online backlash and discussion. While some applauded her honesty, others slammed the tone and message. One Resident wrote on our Instagram page, “Did she free up this info under duress or something?“ While another added, "Using abortions as contraception is crazy work.” A third chimed in, “That ain’t the flex you think it is sis.” However, some commenters defended the difficulty of the topic, noting that many women face this issue in silence: “As sad as this sounds, I’m not sure why men are the first in comments. You will never know how it feels to go through with this decision and/or carry a baby. Some of you even pray women make these decisions.”