Australian Senator Calls For Snoop Dogg to Be Removed From AFL Final

The Adelaide-based politician branded Snoop a “slur merchant” and questioned why the AFL would pay millions to acquire international talent “rather than backing Aussie talent”.

Snoop Dogg at the TIME100 Gala held at Lincoln Center on April 24, 2025 in New York, New York.John Nacion

Snoop Dogg should be sent to the doghouse, and nowhere near the 2025 AFL Grand Final.

That’s the substance of a message from Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who used a Senate address to call for Snoop’s removal from Australian rules football’s showpiece event, where he has been booked for the pre-game entertainment.

The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper was confirmed last month as the headline act for the pre-game entertainment at the AFL final, to be staged Sept. 27 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Snoop, whose booking follows in the footsteps of Ed Sheeran, Sting, The Killers, Lionel Richie, Tom Jones, Meat Loaf and homegrown rockers Powderfinger, was presented by the AFL as a coup, with CEO Andrew Dillon describing the hip-hop veteran as “a pioneer, a performer, and a true entertainer” who would help deliver “an unforgettable celebration of footy.”

Hanson-Young, however, isn’t hot on the idea.

The Adelaide-based politician used the platform of her speech — and a post from her Instagram account — to brand Snoop a “slur merchant” and questioned why the Australian Football League would pay millions to acquire international talent “rather than backing Aussie talent”.

“The AFL has decided, rather than putting on an Australian artist, they’re gonna pay $2 million to play at the Grand Final,” remarked Hanson-Young, a vocal supporter of the nation’s music community.

“The AFL is a cultural institution,” she remarked. And cultural institutions should back Australia’s musicians and creative arts community, she continued.

Speaking in the Senate, Hanson-Young called out the “irony” of Snoop getting the red carpet treatment, while Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine received a four-week suspension for making a homophobic slur on the pitch.

“The irony is not lost on many of us that while Izak Rankine gets dumped, Snoop Dogg gets $2 million to play his misogynistic, homophobic music on our turf,” Hanson-Young continued. While not focusing on any specific lyrics from Snoop’s hundreds of songs, her comments closely follow Snoop’s remarks in a podcast, in which he expressed discomfort at explaining to his grandson a same-sex relationship depicted in the animated movie Lightyear.

At a time when Australian artists are struggling to be seen and heard, proof of which can be seen on the weekly ARIA Charts, the Senator called out the AFL for missing an opportunity to support locals. “We need investment in Australian and Aussie talent. We need investment in our music industry, and we need to say that if it’s an Aussie game, it’s an Aussie artist playing,” she declared.

And to the AFL, “have the guts to rethink this decision.”

It’s not the first time Snoop has caught the ire of foreign decision-makers. In 2006, the rapper was involved in a fracas at London’s Heathrow Airport, during which seven police officers received minor injuries. On that occasion, Snoop and five other men were arrested on charges of violent disorder and starting a brawl, and spent the night in jail. The artist was subsequently banned from the country for four years.

As his U.K. ban was lifted in 2010, Snoop found himself on the outside in the Netherlands, where authorities had him removed from the lineup of a free concert, Parkpop festival, when the mayor and law enforcement officials asked its organizers could secure a performer of more “open and friendly character.” Earlier, in 2001, Snoop raised eyebrows when he presented “Doggystyle,” a feature-length adult video featuring his own music.

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has defended the decision to book Snoop Dogg, noting the league hadn’t scrutinized all his lyrics and reiterated that the entertainment spot at the final would be a family-friendly spectacle.

“It is also important to remember that we engaged Snoop Dogg in 2025 as the person he is today,” Dillon said. “He has spoken publicly about his past, he has changed, and today he is a grandfather, philanthropist, he helps rehabilitate youth and is a global entertainer who has performed at both the Super Bowl and the Olympic Closing Ceremony.”

Snoop has an Australian connection. In 2021, he struck an exclusive, five-year touring deal with TEG MJR, the U.K.-based promotion arm of Australian live entertainment, ticketing and tech giant TEG.