Olivia Rodrigo's vinyl destroyed by religious mother sparks outcry

Religious mother broke her daughter's collectable vinyl records. What did Olivia Rodrigo do to earn the wrath of Christian fanatics?

Magdalena, who records on TikTok as @florencebymagdalena, typically creates her interpretations of viral sounds. On 12 August, her video, featuring original and unpleasant content, went viral. The TikTok described it as "POV: My mum found my Olivia Rodrigo vinyls and decided to snap them in half (I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown)."

In the 10-second video, a young girl covers her mouth with her hand, and two broken vinyls are seen on the bed. In the background, a frail, grey-haired woman is praying for "Olivia Rodriguez". She beseeches God to have mercy on the artist and for her to "repent for her sins". The most popular comment under the video says, "Why don't my children visit me?".

The TikToker's mother targeted Olivia Rodrigo's "Guts" and "Sour" records. Worse yet, both types of vinyl were colourful, collectable special editions. The TikToker did not specify exactly what her mother objected to regarding her favourite artist, but an explanation appeared in the comments. One commenter wrote: "Olivia said 'f*ck' in a song and wore an 'offensive to God' shirt". During a concert in Barcelona in June 2024, Rodrigo received a shirt from an audience member on which her face was superimposed on an image of Jesus. The singer performed one song while wearing it.

The TikToker was flooded with messages of sympathy, with some people in the comments even offering to replace her records. To those who did not understand the behaviour of the girl's mother, others explained it as an instance of religious fanaticism. To lighten the heavy atmosphere, one of the commenters joked: "Is she a fan of Sabrina or something?". This refers to the singer Sabrina Carpenter. Many people suspect that Olivia Rodrigo's first hit, "Driver's Licence", is about Joshua Bassett leaving her for Carpenter.

Many comments under TikTok included stories similar to Magdalena's, often combined with information that such parental behaviour led to breaking contact with them in early adulthood. One commenter wrote: "I'm so sorry! My mum did this to my sister when she was 15. My sister moved to New York City and did not speak to our family for 10 years."