Keli Holiday and the new risk of touring Trump's America

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: 7am
Date: May 19, 2026
Title: Keli Holiday and the new risk of touring Trump's America
Theme:
This episode explores the recent denial of entry to the US for Australian artist Adam Hyde (Keli Holiday, formerly of Peking Duck), in the context of increasingly strict border rules under Donald Trump’s administration. Host Ruby Jones and guest Osman Farouki (co-founder of Lamestream) discuss the opaque reasons for Hyde’s visa cancellation, the politicization of border enforcement, and the broader chilling effect on Australian artists. The episode questions what this means for Australia-US cultural relations and asks whether the Australian government should take a stronger stand.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Adam Hyde’s US Visa Cancellation: What Happened?

• Background: Adam Hyde, known as Keli Holiday and formerly of Peking Duck, was in the middle of a North American tour when he was denied US re-entry. He had played shows in LA and Chicago, then went to Toronto, and was detained attempting to return for a New York gig.
  • Notable quote:

    “He and his touring crew were detained at the US border and interrogated before being told that they were all being denied entry and their visas were being canceled.” — Osman Farouki [02:02]

• Official Reason: US authorities cited broad “national security concerns,” giving no specifics.
  • Notable quote:

    “That’s a pretty general, broad and opaque reason to cancel a touring artist’s visa.” — Osman Farouki [02:44]

2. The ‘Abby Chatfield Factor’ and Right-Wing Media Outrage

• Media Reaction: The Australian media fixated on a potential link between Hyde’s denial and social media posts by his partner, high-profile influencer Abby Chatfield, who is publicly critical of Donald Trump.
  • Notable quote:

    “This narrative soon emerged that Adam Hyde had been banned…because of what his partner Abby Chatfield had posted.” — Osman Farouki [04:28]

• Viral Clip: A past video where Chatfield made a provocative joke about US politics was widely shared, leading to speculation and calls for ‘karma.’
  • Quote from Chatfield's apology:

    “A video that I posted a year ago has come back to haunt me essentially... I still think that I should talk about it and apologize for it.” — Abby Chatfield [05:06]

  • Farouki clarifies:

    “That link has not been officially confirmed by anyone… but the Abby angle became the main media story because it was this simple narrative.” — Osman Farouki [05:35]

3. Growing Risks for Australian Artists in the US

• Precedent and Anxiety: The Hyde case has amplified concerns among Australian musicians, especially given the opacity of US border decisions and the uncertainty for their careers.
  • Notable quote:

    “Since that incident, every artist, and I think honestly, every Australian, should be much more concerned about what might happen to them at the US border.” — Osman Farouki [07:55]

• Financial and Logistical Strains: US musician visas have tripled in cost, making tours riskier.
• Organisations Respond: Groups like Sounds Australia and Creative Australia are running special US visa info programs to help artists navigate the shifting landscape. [07:29]

4. Expanded Vetting: Social Media & Ideological Tests

• New Measures: The Trump administration now requires visa applicants (including from countries with visa waivers like Australia) to disclose up to 5 years of social media and 10 years of email history. Biometric data is also collected.
  • [08:45-09:07]
• Political Litmus Test: Executive orders encourage border agents to check for so-called ‘anti-American views’—a standard Osman argues is left deliberately vague.
  • Quote:

    “Basically, it means that there is a lot of discretion and authority for US border officials to look up what someone might have posted online… and therefore refuse entry to those people.” — Osman Farouki [09:34]

5. Chilling Effect Beyond Musicians: Censorship and Self-Policing

• Recent Examples:
  • Alastair Kitchen, Australian writer, was questioned for hours about Middle Eastern politics and deported from LAX [10:00].
  • Comedian Alice Fraser canceled her tour after legal advice that her Trump and Musk jokes could put her at risk for visa denial. [10:45]
• Global Impact: Osman argues US border policies are encouraging pre-emptive self-censorship among creatives worldwide.
  • Quote:

    “The long term consequence… is going to be people who are just too scared to comment on the politics of the day because it’s going to deter them from going to the US.” — Osman Farouki [13:53]

6. The Australian Government’s Response (or Lack Thereof)

• Government Silence: DFAT (Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) does not comment on or challenge US border decisions.
  • Quote:

    “The Australian government doesn’t really comment on the way that the US polices its border. And part of that… is because of the way that we run our own border protection regime as well.” — Osman Farouki [11:04]

• Mirror Moves: Australia has engaged in its own online-comment-based visa cancellations.
• Call to Action: With the stakes for Aussie artists rising, Osman says the Australian government should advocate for its citizens, especially with such a close ally.
  • Quote:

    “If the US really is our closest ally… I think they’ve got a responsibility to stand up on behalf of our artists.” — Osman Farouki [12:33]

  • Suggestions: Ask for explanations from the US, offer logistics/financial support, and provide clarity to traveling artists.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He and his touring crew were detained at the US border and interrogated before being told that they were all being denied entry and their visas were being canceled.”
  — Osman Farouki [02:02]
• “That’s a pretty general, broad and opaque reason to cancel a touring artist’s visa.”
  — Osman Farouki [02:44]
• “A video that I posted a year ago has come back to haunt me essentially… I still think that I should talk about it and apologize for it.”
  — Abby Chatfield [05:06]
• “Since that incident, every artist, and I think honestly, every Australian, should be much more concerned about what might happen to them at the US border.”
  — Osman Farouki [07:55]
• “Basically, it means that there is a lot of discretion and authority for US border officials to look up what someone might have posted online…”
  — Osman Farouki [09:34]
• “It’s not just about a choice… The US is a big important market for creatives of all kinds to tour and to make a living from. And I think unfortunately, the long term consequence of these policies is going to be some of the most influential people in the world being too scared to talk honestly about politics.”
  — Osman Farouki [14:07]

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Important Timestamps

• 01:16: Osman Farouki describes Adam Hyde’s backstory and career highlights.
• 02:02: Details of Hyde being detained at the border.
• 03:44: The media begins linking Abby Chatfield’s social media to Hyde’s denial.
• 05:06: Abby Chatfield’s Instagram apology.
• 06:57: Discussion of growing anxiety for Australian artists.
• 07:29: Organisational response from the Australian music industry.
• 08:40: New border measures: social media and contact disclosure.
• 10:00: Alastair Kitchen’s experience—questioned for political views and deported.
• 10:45: Alice Fraser cancels her US tour due to risk from her jokes.
• 11:04: The Australian government’s reticence and mirror policies.
• 12:33: Osman’s plea for a stronger Australian government response.
• 13:15: The chilling effect of these policies on global creatives.
• 14:07: Osman’s conclusion about consequences for global speech and careers.

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Conclusion

Tone & Takeaway:
In a calm, matter-of-fact conversational tone, the episode sounds the alarm about creeping censorship-by-border, not only in the US under Trump’s renewed administration but also mirrored by Australia’s own policies. Osman Farouki calls for the Australian government to step up advocacy for its creative citizens facing arbitrary and opaque border hurdles and cautions about the global chilling effect on self-expression and dissent.

The case of Adam Hyde is held up as a turning point for artists—and the episode ends with a clear warning: if musicians known for singing about love and dancing can be excluded for themselves or their partners’ online speech, then no creative is safe from the globalized reach of political censorship at the border.

Transcript

[Ruby Jones]

I'm Ruby Jones and you're listening to 7am. You may know him as Kelly Holliday, one half of Peking Duck, or even as Abby Chatfield's boyfriend. Now, Australian musician Adam Hyde has become the latest high profile victim of Trump's tough border rules after he was denied re entry to the States in the middle of his North American tour. The explanation, national security concerns. That's it, nothing more. And it's not an isolated incident. In Trump's America, Australian artists are increasingly finding themselves blocked from entry, threatening their careers and livelihoods in a market that's crucial for their success. Today, co founder of lamestream, Osman Farouki on border control, censorship and why the Australian government should be pushing back. It's Wednesday, May 20,

[Interviewer/Host]

So Oz, the musician Adam Hyde, he's also known as Kelly holiday or was 1/2 of Peking Duck. He was denied entry into the US recently. So can you tell me what we know about what actually happened when he tried to re enter the country?

[Osman Farouki]

Sure.

So as you mentioned, Ruby, people might

be familiar with Adam Hyde through his work with the electronic music duo Peking

Duck or through his solo work more

recently as Kelly holiday. His song Dancing 2 was a a big chart hit and it was the runner up on Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown this year.

[Narrator/Host]

You know the dance you could be dancing right now and you voted it in as your number two in the Hottest 100 of 2025. Dancing to by Kelly Holiday.

[Osman Farouki]

So earlier this month in May, Adam Hyde was touring throughout North America.

He'd done a couple of shows in

the US in LA and Chicago before heading up Canada in Toronto for a gig.

And he was on his way back

to the US after that for a final show in New York City when he hit a problem. He and his touring crew were detained at the US border and interrogated before being told that they were all being denied entry and their visas were being canceled. He posted on Instagram that he'd spent all day detained at the Canadian border and had been denied entry despite having what he said was proper visa documentation. His representatives have since said that he was not given an explicit reason for that visa cancellation. And US Officials have since said that it was due to national security concerns. But that's the extent of it, and

that's a pretty general, broad and opaque

reason to cancel a touring artist's visa.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay, so US Authorities are saying he can't enter because of national security concerns, but we don't know what those concerns are. And on the face of it, I mean, he's A guy in a band on tour. So it's hard to kind of imagine what the risk is. So at this point, attention turned to his partner, Tabby Chatfield. So tell me about how she became part of the story.

[Osman Farouki]

So when Adam Hyde was detained and refused entry, it became a bit of

a media story in Australia. He's a pretty well known musician and it's kind of unusual for someone of

his stature to not be allowed into the US for a prearranged tour.

[Commentator/Critic]

You know who else has made their bed and has laid in it? Abby Chatfield. You know, the alleged Australian influencer, Gee. Her and her partner by the name of, what's his name, Kelly Holliday, they're in a world of pain right now. Now, Kelly Holliday is.

[Osman Farouki]

It was actually the News Corp.

Owned outlet Sky News that was the first to link Adam Hyde being denied entry to his partner, Abby Chatfield.

She's very critical of Trump and she

once released a video where she made a joke about Luigi Mangione, the man who allegedly shot and killed a high profile health care executive, linking that incident to Donald Trump.

[Commentator/Critic]

She once called for gun violence. This is what she said.

[Abby Chatfield]

Americans, when are you going to do it? Why isn't it already done you. Every day there's another happening, right? Awful for your country. Awful. Right. Why don't we redirect this energy to something else?

[Osman Farouki]

That link then got picked up by right wing influences and activists on social media.

And this narrative soon emerged that Adam

Hyde had been banned from entering the US because of what his partner Abby Chatfield had posted.

[Commentator]

She crosses herself while calling for the

[Osman Farouki]

assassination of the US President.

[Commentator/Critic]

She's holier than thou. Clearly. Clearly. Yeah, look, probably energy would have been better placed elsewhere, Abi, because, gee, karma. Ooh, it's a good one, isn't it? Got Abby and it clearly got Kelly as well.

[Osman Farouki]

Now, there was no clear evidence for that.

That was just a conservative media narrative. But Abby Chatfield then posted an apology

on her Instagram account, said that this

was a bad joke that she had made and it was not actually a call to violence.

[Abby Chatfield]

A video that I posted a year ago has come back to haunt me essentially. And I honestly think that I should address it and apologize for it. Because while I do think that it was taken out of context and that the intention behind it has been stripped and warped, I still think that I should talk about it and apologize for it. Because honestly, since posting, that then led

[Osman Farouki]

to another deluge of media stories that

suggested that the reason why Hyde was locked out of the US was all

due to Chatfield's post.

But Ruby, that link has not been

officially confirmed by anyone. It's not been confirmed by Adam Hyde's team, nor the US border officials. But the Abbey angle, I guess became the main media story because it was this simple narrative.

It was more polarizing. It involved a high profile influencer that

the media loved to write about and

it became a much more clickable story

than the kind of detailed political or immigration border policy rules that led to Hyde's detention and eventual non allowance into the U.S. right.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay, so we don't know whether or not a social media post made by his partner was a factor. All we're left with, I suppose is this question of, you know, it's either a total lack of transparency about why you'd be refused entry, or it might be because of something your partner posted. I mean, neither of those scenarios seems good.

[Osman Farouki]

No, they're not good.

That's right. I mean, either we have an Australian artist who despite being on tour and despite having just played shows in the US being don't hide entry for very

unclear reasons, or it's because something his

partner posted that some US border officials

decided was too provocative for him to be let in. It's a pretty concerning situation I think, for Australians generally and Australian artists on tour in particular.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, let's talk a little more about that. So other Australian musicians who might be planning a tour to the US they must be worried at the precedent being set here.

[Osman Farouki]

Yeah, that's right.

I mean, organizing a tour to the US is pretty expensive and stressful for

artists at the best of times.

Just to come of years ago, the

US government actually tripled the cost of

the visa that musicians need to tour in the country.

So it's become pretty tricky just financially

for Australians to get over there and perform their shows.

And then since the re election of

the Trump government, there's been more and more concerns about the kinds of people who are being let in and the

reasons that might be used to not

allow certain people entry into the US. Two pretty key arts bodies in Australia,

Sounds Australia and Creative Australia, have actually

run US visa information programs because of the shifting enforcement practices they say are taking place at the border. I've spoken to a bunch of people in the music industry, be very senior

figures who are increasingly concerned and worried

about the way that Trump's border regime

is operating and the way that's impacting

the Australian music industry.

And this was all going on before

what happened to Kelly Holiday.

But I think since that incident Every artist, and I think, honestly, every Australian, should be much more concerned about what

might happen to them at the US border.

[Ruby Jones]

Coming up, should the Australian government be pushing back against this?

[Interviewer/Host]

So, Oz, it isn't just musicians who have been denied entry to the US Since Trump returned to office. The US has strengthened its vetting and its screening processes. We've heard stories of other people of, you know, right. Being refused entry. So tell me a bit more about the measures that are now in place at the border and the impact that we're seeing as people try and get

[Osman Farouki]

to the us so the most significant

measure that has come in under the Trump government is something called social media and contact disclosure.

[Commentator]

The Trump administration is proposing changing the rules, making people from the 42 countries that don't have to get a visa to enter the country, including Australia, New zealand and the UK. UK disclose 5 years worth of their

[Osman Farouki]

social media history and 10 years of email addresses and a lot of information to do with their personal life, including biometrics.

Now, the next question is, what are

these people looking for? Well, there's also been executive orders that encourage border officials to test for anti American views.

That's very broadly defined.

[Interviewer]

Are you concerned at all that if that's implemented, there would be a decline in tourism next year? And what sort of material do you think is objectionable?

[US Official]

We just want people to come over here and say, we want safety, we want security, we want to make sure we're not letting the wrong people come.

[Osman Farouki]

Basically, it means that there is a lot of discretion and authority for US border officials to look up what someone

might have posted online, determine whether that has been, generally speaking, anti American, which can be defined as narrowly as anti Trump, and therefore refuse entry to those people.

We've seen a couple of high profile

examples of this just applying to Australians in the last couple of years.

The Australian writer Alastair Kitchen said that

he was detained at LAX in LA.

[Alastair Kitchen]

I was there for 12 hours. The first 30 minutes, the first 45 minutes were spent grilling me about my views on Israel, on Gaza. I spent a lot of time trying to inform them about how I felt about a one versus two state solution. Not the type of questions that you're used to a border agent asking you

[Osman Farouki]

before eventually being denied entry and being sent back to Australia.

US Government officials say that he wasn't detained for his political views, but we just don't have another reason why he

would not have been let into the country. And we do know that the US Government is checking for the political statements of people who are coming into the country.

It's also happening across the arts. The Australian comedian Alice Fraser said that

she cancelled a trip to and a tour to the US because she got legal advice that her jokes and her

commentary about Trump and Elon Musk could

make it much harder for her to enter the us.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right, and so where is the Australian

[Ruby Jones]

government in all of this?

[Interviewer/Host]

I mean, has DFAT in any of these cases advocated or sought an explanation

[Ruby Jones]

from the US government?

[Osman Farouki]

The Australian government doesn't really comment on

the way that the US polices its border.

And to be honest, part of that,

Ruby, is because of the way that we run our own border protection regime as well. We have very, very strict requirements for entry into Australia. And late we've been doing a lot of similar things to what is going on in the US as well. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has cancelled the visas of a number of high

profile people attempting to visit Australia because

of comments they've made online, including on social media. But I do think the Kelly Holiday or Adam Hyde incident really raises the stakes for our government.

[Interviewer/Host]

Ok, so why is that and what

[Ruby Jones]

can the Australian government actually do?

[Osman Farouki]

Because Ruby, as well as being the

Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke is also the Arts Minister. And let's be honest here, Kelly Holliday is not some kind of radical hyper political musician. He's an electronic artist that sings about love and dancing. And if he's getting denied entry to the US because of comments his partner made or for some other unknown reason,

I think that should be setting alarm

bells through the music industry and through the government.

I mean, one of our biggest musical exports right now from Australia are a

band called Amel and the Sniffers, whose front woman, Amy Taylor, is very explicit about her opposition to Donald Trump. I mean, what happens if they are blocked from entering the us? That obviously would be hugely damaging to their ability to make a living and to promote Australian music. I think we're entering a pretty dangerous new phase for the Trump government.

And you ask me, what can the Australian government do? Well, if the US really is our

closest ally, as our government keeps saying,

I think they've got a responsibility to stand up on behalf of our artists and I think they can do that even if they want to respect the

way that another country operates their borders.

They can ask questions, they can provide more resources and support to artists that

can provide financial help, given the immense cost it takes to actually go over there and tour.

And they can basically ask for an

explanation from the US government as to why they are treating Australian musicians in this way.

[Interviewer/Host]

I suppose the obvious consequence of this is self censorship of writers, of musicians, of anyone who posts on social media who might want to enter the U.S. they'd be watching this going, okay, I need to be careful about what I say about a foreign government.

[Osman Farouki]

I think that's the real reason why

the US Is operating their border the way that they are right now. As well as the examples of Australians

that we've talked about. There have been so many migrants to

the U.S. international students who've been detained or deported because of comments they've made online about Donald Trump, about Charlie Kirk, about Israel, about Gaza.

And I think the reason why these

rules exist isn't just to police who gets to come into the country. It really is about setting a standard that says you, you can't talk about these issues.

And I think you're totally right that

the long term consequence of that is going to be people who are either

in vulnerable situations as migrants or people in high profile situations.

Artists, writers, musicians, comedians, all sorts of people who are just too scared to comment on the politics of the day because it's going to deter them from going to the US which they need to do to make a living.

It's not just about a choice, it's not just about going on holiday.

The US is a big important market for creatives of all kinds to tour and to make a living from. And I think unfortunately, the long term consequence of these policies is going to be some of the most influential people in the world being too scared to talk honestly about politics, the situation in the US and what's going on all over the world.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, Oz, thank you so much for your time.

[Osman Farouki]

Thanks, Ruby.

[Ruby Jones]

Also in the news, the Bureau of Meteorology boss who led BoM during its shambolic website refresh has resigned. Peter Stone's resignation comes almost seven months after the launch of the $96 million redesign which left users unable to navigate the site during bad weather. The website was $47 million over budget and went live despite testing scores for the site falling well below acceptable levels. And Kyle and Jackie O's radio company has signed Kyle Stefanovic and Eddie McGuire. The pair won't replace Kyle and Jacky O, but will instead host a three hour new show on Gold FM and Nine's streaming platforms every Friday. It comes amid increased speculation that Karl could leave today at the end of his contract after he launched his his own controversial podcast featuring far right figures including Pauline Hanson. I'm Ruby Jones, this is 7:00am thanks for listening.