Christie Whelan Browne on Britney Spears, Craig McLachlan and ageing up
Christie Whelan Browne reflects on her career resurgence, revisiting her long-running Britney Spears cabaret amid evolving public empathy for Spears' struggles. She discusses her high-profile legal battle with Craig McLachlan, the personal toll of speaking out, and her return to stage roles after stepping back for motherhood. Now embracing older roles at 43, she prepares to star in a new adaptation of All About Eve. Whelan Browne also touches on her time on Mad as Hell and the shifting cultural response to mental health and #MeToo.
- ▪Christie Whelan Browne is reviving her Britney Spears cabaret, noting that audience reactions have shifted from laughter to silence as public empathy for Spears' mental health struggles has grown.
- ▪She was involved in a six-year legal battle following her 2018 allegations of sexual harassment against Craig McLachlan during The Rocky Horror Show, culminating in a confidential settlement with the production company.
- ▪Whelan Browne says she continues to face online abuse from supporters of McLachlan, who now runs a podcast where he criticizes his accusers.
- ▪After stepping away from performing to raise her son, Whelan Browne is returning to the stage, including a lead role in Dean Bryant’s adaptation of All About Eve later in 2026.
- ▪At 43, she has transitioned into older character roles, recently being cast as a mother rather than a peer in a new musical workshop.
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