Olivia Rodrigo Says She Has Smelled Fans Wearing Diapers In The Front Row At Shows

For some fans, getting close to the stage is not just about arriving early. Olivia Rodrigo has now revealed that a few people are apparently willing to wear diapers if it means they do not have to give up their front-row spot.

The 23-year-old is already one of the biggest names in pop, with three Grammy Awards and a fanbase that follows her every move. That level of attention means her live shows can bring out a kind of dedication that even she seems surprised by.

Rodrigo is best known for songs including 'driver's license', 'good 4 u', and 'vampire'. One of her newer singles, 'drop dead', also opened at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, adding another major chart moment to her career.

The odd admission came while Rodrigo was promoting her album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which was released last Friday, June 12. She spoke about the record during an interview on KISS FM UK, but the chat moved beyond normal album talk pretty quickly.

The hosts brought up her upcoming UK tour and mentioned that listeners had been suggesting British icons she could collaborate with. One name that came up was Susan Boyle, the Britain's Got Talent star who has recently found herself back in the pop culture conversation.

That suggestion gave the interview a lighter turn before Rodrigo moved into the much stranger subject of what some fans do at crowded concerts and festivals when they are determined not to lose their place.

Olivia Rodrigo recently released her third studio album Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Olivia Rodrigo

"Oh my god," Rodrigo said as soon as Boyle's name came up. "Susan Boyle is having such a resurgence. Timothée Chalamet talked about her in that interview and I was like, 'Yes, I forgot about Susan Boyle!'"

She then described the Britain's Got Talent star as 'epic', making it clear she was not dismissing the idea at all. It was one of those interview moments that started out funny and oddly wholesome.

But the conversation soon shifted from dream collaborations to fan behavior. Rodrigo then shared the kind of detail performers probably notice more than anyone else when they are facing a packed crowd night after night.

"I have been to certain concerts and certain festivals where people wear diapers so that they can be front row of the show," she said. "That's been an experience of a performer that I have smelled and experienced."

Rodrigo did not make it sound like a rumor she had only seen online. She described it as something she had personally dealt with as a performer, which made the comment land even harder.

She then compared it to another situation where people wait in one place for hours, adding: "It's also like with the ball drop in New York for New Year's Eve, everyone is wearing diapers — they sit there all day. That's a thing. I think about it kind of often. It's a real thing."

Why fans would even consider doing this

The logic is gross, but it is not hard to understand. In a packed general-admission crowd, leaving for the bathroom can mean losing a spot someone waited hours to get, especially if they are near the barricade.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Rodrigo made the comments during a June 2026 KISS Breakfast interview, and the same report noted that she linked the idea to long waits at major events like New Year's Eve in New York.

That context makes the behavior less random, even if it still sounds unpleasant for everyone nearby. For some fans, the front row becomes the whole mission, and comfort clearly stops being the priority once the waiting starts.

This was not the first time Rodrigo had been linked to the subject. Last summer, a video of her reacting to a fan sign went viral after someone in the crowd claimed they were wearing a diaper to stay up front. The sign read 'wearing diapers for front row'.

Rodrigo was filmed reading the sign from the stage and responding with a mix of shock and affection. She said: "Is that true? Did you guys wear diapers? You're wearing a diaper right now to be front row? Wow, that's actually amazing. I love you. Thank you for doing that."

"That's crazy," Rodrigo added, and judging by the reaction online, plenty of people had the same response.

Some viewers thought Rodrigo handled the moment kindly, even if they found the whole thing hard to process. "She was too nice about this," one person commented at the time.

Others focused on how unpleasant it would be for the people standing nearby, with a second person saying: "I'd hate to be next to them…"

A third person summed up the British reaction to the bizarre front-row confession with: "Welcome to the UK love,"