Swedish pop singer Zara Larsson has drawn criticism for a humorous response to a fan's TikTok video about her abortion. The exchange, which occurred during Larsson's US tour, sparked online debate over the tone of discussions on abortion. Larsson defended her comments, arguing for more casual conversations on the topic.
The controversy began when TikTok user @honeyhazelwood posted a video of Zara Larsson performing her song "Midnight Sun" at a recent show during the singer's United States tour. In a text overlay, the user wrote, "i didn’t know i was pregnant here but at least my baby got to hear midnight sun before I aborted it."
Larsson replied with a joking comment: "I killed the performance and then you killed it after the performance purrrrrr." This interaction quickly drew negative reactions from social media users.
In a follow-up TikTok video, Larsson expressed confusion over the backlash, stating, "Sorry, that’s funny… Sorry if you don’t have humor." She elaborated on her views, questioning why abortion is only seen as acceptable in difficult circumstances: "Why do you feel like abortion is only OK when it’s a very hard decision, when it’s something that women have to struggle with going through, when it’s emotionally or physically painful? Why does that make it morally superior to someone just wanting an abortion for whatever reason? Why is it only morally OK when women have to suffer? Now riddle me that."
Larsson further argued that normalizing casual talk about abortion could help those facing it, saying, "It doesn’t have to be taboo. It doesn’t have to be this bad thing that women do… if we speak about it in a casual manner, that also makes [it easier for] the women who go through it and who are actually suffering through it." She concluded, "So let’s just make more jokes. Abortion is healthcare, what can I say."
Critics were outspoken. Students for Life of America posted on X: "Speaking about babies this way is demonic. The normalization of abortion’s violence is evil, and it exposes that the Left only cares that babies continue to die." Another user commented, "Millions of little girls look up to Zara Larsson… and this is the example she’s setting for them. Utterly grim." Daily Wire host Isabel Brown wrote, "No one is celebrating abortion."
Larsson, a Swedish artist, has gained prominence in American pop culture, notably after figure skater Alysa Liu used her song "Stateside" for a performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, marking the nation's first gold medal in women's singles since 2002. She has been vocal on political issues, including an anti-Israel stance and support for left-wing causes. In January, Larsson shared on her Instagram story: "I love immigrants, I love criminals, I love trans people, I love abortions, I love queers, I love slutty women, I love contraception, I love welfare, I love socialism, I f*ing hate ICE." A follow-up read: "IDK about yall but I’d rather have someone smoking crack on my couch than a f*ing ICE agent ewwwwwwwwww."
The White House's official TikTok account responded with a video mocking her views, featuring Donald Trump footage set to Larsson's "Lush Life," with phrases like "We love America First … We love deportations … We love cheap gas prices … We love a secure border … We love world peace … We love law and order … We love work not welfare … WE LOVE ICE and our law enforcement!"
