For many of us, not having the password to our social media accounts sounds pretty appealing – after all, it would put an end to those 2am TikTok scrolls, and those drunk Instagram Stories we'd rather pretend didn't happen. For Adele however, not having access to her social media seems to be the norm, and for a very good reason.

In fact, Adele recently admitted that she doesn't have the passwords to any of her social media accounts, but was given access during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep herself busy during lockdown. "In COVID, [my team] let me have my password," she said while appearing on Nikkie de Jager's YouTube channel. "I was never allowed my passwords for my socials before. That's actually quite a well-known fact. But obviously, the internet was on fire during COVID. It kept everyone’s morale up."

The 33-year-old then went on to explain that during the time she had her password, the only photo she posted resulted in her team swiftly revoking her social media access. Describing the photo in question as one which "a lot of people know about," it's possible she's referring to the below photo posted in August 2020 – for which she was accused of culturally appropriating Bantu Knots, a traditional African hairstyle – although Adele didn't confirm exactly which photo caused her team to take away her password.

instagramView full post on Instagram

Speaking about the photo, she said: "It’s the only picture I ever posted myself, and then they took my password away from me again."

In response to the backlash she received, Adele told British Vogue in October of this year that in order to hold herself accountable, she made the decision not to remove the photo. "I could see comments being like, 'The nerve to not take it down,' which I totally get. But if I take it down, it's me acting like it never happened. And it did. I totally get why people felt like it was appropriating," she explained. As for why she posted the photo, Adele told the publication that she'd been trying to "celebrate the Jamaican culture" but hadn't "read the f**king room."

Despite having her password taken away, Adele made headlines once again when she hosted an Instagram Live earlier this year, instantly birthing a million memes. In particular, fans went wild over the singer's reaction to being asked what her body count is – "What does that mean?" she said, with a face that can only be described by this emoji: 😐.

adele says she had her insta password 'taken away' after posting this photopinterest
Adele//Instagram

The moment was, truly, iconic.

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Jade Biggs

Jade Biggs (she/her) is Cosmopolitan UK's Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. She also works on first-person features and investigative long-reads, taking a deep-dive into mental health, celebrity culture and women's rights. Jade has been a journalist and content writer for ten years, and has interviewed leading researchers and doctors, high-profile influencers and fitness experts. She is a cat mum to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter