How Lily Allen made a career out of controversy
The Telegraph
Allen is, as she herself puts it, “a well-documented nepo baby”: her father is actor Keith Allen, and, following their divorce, her mother Allison dated comedian Harry Enfield. “She grew up in a very showbiz household,” says PR expert Mark Borkowski. “She’s much like her dad Keith: he is very, very upfront, he doesn’t suffer fools or deal with any b—–ks.”
Allen was always “very feisty – the ultimate showbiz brat,” adds Borkowski. She certainly had a lengthy wild child phase. In 2006 she told Uncut magazine: “I was a drug dealer in Ibiza at 15. I did not excel in drug-dealing – I was terrible at it. Golden rule with drug-dealing; don’t get too enthusiastic with your own merchandise.”
Allen was also something of a pioneer, points out Borkowski, in utilising social media. “She was ahead of her time in building up a huge following on MySpace.” She has continued to talk frankly and directly to her audience, though it’s now mainly through her podcast Miss Me? which she has co-hosted with her friend Miquita Oliver since 2024. “She understands the modern need for raw honesty,” says Borkowski. “She’s also got absolute Teflon skin, so she can handle any blowback.”
Now Allen is back in the music world, and just as provocative as ever – if not more. “If you have success with something early on, you should carry on doing it,” says Borkowski. “A lot of people aren’t that strong-willed, but Lily has stuck to her guns.”