Zara Larsson fires back at TikToker who joked about her being homophobic: ‘It’s 2023. I don’t get it’
Zara Larsson refuses to be “Millie Bobby Brown-ed” after joke homophobia accusations. (TikTok/@RyanTheTwat/@ZaraLarsson)
Zara Larsson has hit back at a TikToker who joked that she had aimed a homophobic slur at him.
It’s a trend that is almost as old as “stan Twitter” itself: for years, some pop-culture fans have revelled in creating and spreading rumours that certain celebrities are homophobic.
Most notably, in 2017, a fake Twitter (now X) profile claimed as a “joke” that Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown had refused to take photos with them as she doesn’t “take selfies with f*gs”.
While Brown was just 13 years old at the time, the meme has followed her into adulthood, and snowballed into far more outlandish (and false) accusations – some viral social media meme creators even “joked” that she had poured coffee on them or mowed them down with her car.
In 2018, the star quit Twitter and hasn’t returned.
The latest victim of false homophobia allegations is Swedish musician Zara Larsson.
Yesterday (15 August), TikTok influencer Ryan Crouse joked that the “All The Time” singer had allowed him on stage at one of her concerts, but had then “pushed [him] off ” and called him a “flaming f***ing f*g”.
Larsson, who is active on social media and known among her fans for being aware of “stan Twitter” jokes, expertly broke down why false homophobia accusations simply aren’t funny.
“I get that it’s a joke, but we need to make a study on what it is that makes white gay men feel like making a woman look homophobic is the funniest joke ever,” she said in a video, responding directly to 21-year-old Crouse, whose TikTok handle is ryanthetwat.
“I thought that was a little played out. It’s 2023, why are you still trying to Millie Bobby Brown people? I don’t get it.”
Larsson went on to say that, while she understands the joke is a form of “self-deprecating” humour among some LGBTQ+ people, and she didn’t want to be seen as a “negative Nancy”, she was hurt by the claims.
“[The joke is] always [at] the expense of the girlies and I don’t like that,” she said. “Everybody who knows me knows that I am an ally. I’ve always been, I will always be.”
Voicing her concerns that some people might not understand the humour, she cleared the air by denying that the on-stage incident had ever happened.
This is not the first time Larsson has found herself a victim of “joke” accusations of homophobia.
“This happened to me just a few months ago, basically the exact same thing but it got way more spread and people were way more upset,” she revealed. “It just makes me sad because that is just so far from my character.”
Mere hours after Larsson’s rebuttal, Crouse uploaded a response in which he expressed feeling “bad” that she hadn’t appreciated his humour, but he stopped short of apologising.
“I think I’ve caused a bigger stir than I meant to… I felt kinda bad. I was like: ‘Wait, I thought everybody knew this was going to be satire’,” he said.
“I do understand that if it’s not very obviously satire…then it’s gonna come off differently.
“Y’all are saying: ‘Oh my God, she ate you up with her reply’, and she kinda did… Yeah, I got ate up by Zara Larsson.”
