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If anybody can laugh at himself, it's Robbie Williams.
The British pop icon, who performed at the 2026 World Cup finals over the weekend, poked fun at his appearance after a clip of him speaking at the soccer tournament went viral.
In the video, Williams, holding a magenta T-Mobile microphone, is seen chatting with someone during the broadcast when a mysterious white substance falls from his face and onto the audio equipment. The Take That alum, 52, quickly picks up the substance − about the size of a pill − and continues his on-air conversation. At one point, Williams can be seen lightly rubbing, and then sticking, the object onto his forehead.
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"What on Earth fell out of Robbie Williams' nose during yesterday's World Cup final broadcast?" X user @AwayDaysFB wrote alongside a video that's been viewed nearly 260,000 times.
Williams, who has previously been open about his struggles with substance abuse, addressed the speculation in a playful video shared on his social media channels Monday, July 20.
"Just like to apologize for the object that fell onto the microphone yesterday," said Williams, who appeared to be lying in bed. "It was deeply unprofessional, and people worried about me."
Then, in a cheeky reveal, Williams stuck his tongue out to show he had a pair of mint candies in his mouth. "But it's OK," he added, "because I had several more."
He added in the caption, "Just woke up and feeling…. Mint."
Williams, who achieved pop superstardom in the '90s as a member of the British boy band Take That, struggled with addiction issues during his five-year stint with the best-selling group, including a near overdose in 1994.
"I was a fully-fledged, fully-blown, self-medicating addict. So unfortunately, it wasn't a lot of fun, which is why I'm a sober person right now," Williams told The Irish Times in 2022. "But it wasn't as heady and as exciting as you might believe in movies and stuff. It was just sad and depressing and tiring, and [you] know… the heart ached."
Robbie Williams amuses fans with viral video response: 'Brilliant comeback'
Williams' response to his viral World Cup appearance earned praise from several fans in the comments section, who embraced the singer's comedic approach.
"Judgy nobs who haven't read your page for the last year and don't know you well enough to know," @kate_lawrence_blake wrote on Instagram. "I was waiting for this or an inkling 🤗 You never disappoint when it comes to humor."
"All the people saying it was something else 🙄😅" @rewindrobbie commented. "Love that you've recorded this."
"You have [the] best personality. I just love you," @loriott10 wrote.
"Knew you'd have a [brilliant] comeback for this," @photo.bymarj commented.
"I felt so cross that people still question your authenticity," @lineshine wrote. "I'm so happy for you that you can make light of it xx You're mint!"
If you or someone you know needs help battling a substance abuse addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robbie Williams breaks silence on white substance incident at World Cup
