Robbie Williams breaks silence to address cocaine allegations after viral World Cup video
The British singer sparked accusations after a white object seen falling from his face during a live TV interview
Robbie Williams has responded to online speculation after a viral moment during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final prompted accusations about a white object seen falling from his face during a live television interview.
The British singer addressed the incident in a video shared on Instagram, explaining that the object was a mint rather than an illegal substance.
The moment occurred during the World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina, when a small white object fell onto his microphone before Williams calmly picked it up and continued the interview.
In his Instagram video, Williams joked about the incident while clarifying what had happened.
“I’d just like to apologize for the object that fell onto the microphone yesterday, it was deeply unprofessional,” he said.
“And people worried about me, but, it’s OK because I had several more,” he continued before laughing and sticking out his tongue to reveal two mints.
He captioned the post, “Just woke up and feeling…. Mint 😀 x.”
The video came after social media users speculated that the object was cocaine, with some sharing the clip widely across X. The mint later appeared on Williams’ forehead after he scratched his head with the same hand.
Williams has previously spoken openly about his past struggles with addiction. The former Take That member has undergone treatment for alcoholism and prescription drug addiction, most recently entering rehabilitation in 2007.
In his 2017 memoir Reveal, he reflected on his experiences, writing, “I went to some very, very dark places.” He also said, “The ability to care is taken away in the addiction. That’s why so many people die from addiction.”
Earlier in the day, Williams performed the FIFA World Cup anthem, “Desire”, alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Italian singer Laura Pausini during the tournament’s closing ceremony.
