Image – Shutterstock: Zara Larsson performing in Madrid in 2016
Swedish pop star Zara Larsson has sparked backlash online after appearing to joke about a fan’s abortion in response to a TikTok video from one of her concerts.
The controversy began when a fan posted footage of Larsson performing her song Midnight Sun at a recent show. The video included a caption reading: “I didn’t know I was pregnant here but at least my baby got to hear midnight sun before I aborted it.”
After being tagged in the post, Larsson responded in the comments: “I killed the performance and then you killed it after the performance purrrrrr.”
The singer also reposted the video to her own TikTok account, helping the exchange spread rapidly across social media platforms.
Reactions to the comment have been sharply divided. Some fans praised the remark as dark humour, while others argued that joking about abortion in such terms crossed a line.
Pro-life commentators were particularly critical. Students for Life of America said the exchange reflected the “normalisation of abortion’s violence,” while other activists described the comment as an example of celebrities treating the subject of abortion lightly despite its gravity.
Critics also noted that Larsson has millions of young fans who look up to her, raising questions about the influence of celebrities when discussing sensitive issues such as abortion.
Others online defended Larsson, arguing that the original post itself appeared to be written in a tongue-in-cheek tone and that the singer was simply responding in kind.
Larsson has not publicly addressed the controversy or clarified whether the comment was intended as a joke.
The singer, who has enjoyed international success with hits such as Lush Life and Never Forget You, has recently been back in the spotlight after American figure skater Alysa Liu used Larsson’s song Stateside during her gold medal-winning routine at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
However, the viral TikTok exchange has once again highlighted how quickly celebrity comments about abortion can ignite fierce online debate.
SPUC’s Executive Director, Michael Robinson, says, “The attitude taken by Zara Larsson here is entirely dismissive of the reality of abortion. Not only are the lives of babies lost but millions of women every year are plunged into deep trauma and other mental health woes. This trivial attitude to what is a very grave practice does not help the women who need healing from abortion, it only causes them to try and hide. Young women need role models who promote true flourishing, not the slaughter of their children.”
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