Donald Trump
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

A recording of Donald Trump making sexually suggestive comments about then-teenage actress Lindsay Lohan has ignited a wave of online outrage as critics condemn the remarks as inappropriate and demeaning. In resurfaced audio from a 2004 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Trump was heard discussing Lohan, who had just turned 18 and was at the time rising to international fame, with remarks focusing on her physical appearance and speculating about her sexual life.

The comments, which have circulated widely on social media in recent days, have prompted fresh criticism from public figures and commentators. Critics have labelled the conversation disturbing, highlighting the power imbalance between Trump, then a wealthy businessman in his late 50s, and Lohan, a young actress barely out of her teens.

Resurfaced Interview Unearths Controversial Remarks

The comments at the centre of the controversy come from Trump's multiple appearances on The Howard Stern Show, a shock radio programme known for explicit content. In the 2004 recording, Stern begins a conversation about Lohan's appearance, to which Trump responds with remarks focusing on her body. 'There's something there,' Trump says, referencing Lohan's freckles, before engaging in a discussion about her personal struggles and attractiveness.

When Stern speculates about sex with a 'troubled teen', Trump replies: 'She's probably deeply troubled and therefore great in bed. How come the deeply troubled women ... they're always the best in bed?' The exchange continued with both men discussing the supposed appeal of 'troubled' women.

Trump's comments about Lohan were revealed during a CNN KFile review of archival recordings. Although the interview was first widely reported in 2016 during his presidential campaign, its re-emergence in 2026 has sparked renewed online debate.

Public Reaction and Celebrity Condemnation

The resurfacing of the audio has prompted strong reactions across social media platforms, with many users describing Trump's remarks as unsettling and inappropriate given Lohan's age. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who co-starred with Lohan in the 2003 film Freaky Friday, publicly denounced Trump's comments when the audio first circulated in 2016. Curtis described the remarks as 'gross, lecherous, lewd commentary' and stressed that Trump's position of influence made his words more disturbing.

Curtis noted that she had spoken with Lohan, who was 'grateful' for the support. Lohan's own response to the initial revelations was measured, with the actress indicating a desire to focus on positive projects and humanitarian work rather than engage directly with criticism of Trump's remarks.

Context Within Trump's Broader History of Controversial Statements

The Lohan episode fits within a broader pattern of controversial remarks attributed to Trump over the decades. His appearances on The Howard Stern Show frequently included explicit commentary about women, which critics cite as evidence of persistent misogynistic attitudes. The Stern interview forms part of a catalogue of recordings that have periodically resurfaced, including the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump boasted about exploiting his fame to engage in unwanted sexual contact with women—comments he later dismissed as 'locker room talk'.

Social Media Backlash Intensifies

The 2026 resurgence of the Lohan recording has spurred fresh discourse across platforms such as Reddit and X, where users have expressed shock at the tone and content of Trump's remarks. On Reddit, threads discussing the interview have garnered substantial engagement, with users condemning the language as predatory and questioning the implications of such statements by a former president. Some discussions have broadened to critique cultural norms that normalised explicit commentary about young women in media during the early 2000s, contrasting these past attitudes with evolving expectations of public figures today.

The resurfaced audio underscores how archived media can resurface to shape public discourse years later. For observers, the encounter serves as a reminder of how influential men in media and politics have historically spoken about women in explicit and demeaning terms, raising questions about accountability and cultural change.