hall of infamy
Todrick Hall drags the gay community for hating on 'The Real Friends of WeHo' and oh, brother
By Editors January 23, 2023 at 2:01pm · 24 comments
Photo via Getty Images
After a slew of social media posts from Todrick Hall this weekend, the vitriolic dragging of his new reality show The Real Friends of WeHo has had its flames highly fanned.
Todrick, alongside costars like Brad Goreski and Jaymes Vaughn, has been facing a tidal wave of backlash since the program was announced earlier this month. Viewers objections to the casting of the controversial Big Brother star, allegations of casting discrimination against an OnlyFans star, and the series' alleged interference with this season of Rupaul's Drag Race have led to mass trolling on the show's social media accounts and score-bombing on sites like IMDB (1.2/10) and Rotten Tomatoes (4%).
Outcry against the show was initially intensified when it was announced that Drag Race episodes would be shortened to an hour this season (as opposed to their previous 90-minute runtime) and would be immediately followed by the new program in an attempt to "build a destination night " of LGBTQ+ programming at MTV. Fans quickly launched a change.org petition to have the runtime reinstated and to have Real Friends taken off the air entirely. The petition currently has over 30,000 signatures.
While the rest of the cast has weathered the sh*tstorm facing their show mostly gracefully, Todrick is doubling down. This weekend, he posted a video seemingly trying to clapback at the haters by recreating the famous Regina George "fugly slut" scene.
Not totally sure what the clapback is here, but it's been clapped:
A post shared by TODRICK (@todrick)
He's mined Mean Girls for viral video content for a decade with parody videos like Mean Boys and Mean Gurlz, so at least there's something to be said for consistency?
Related: 5 hottest pieces of tea from last night's "The Real Friends of WeHo" premiere
This video came in between handwritten diatribes chastising the gay community for not supporting LGBTQ+ programming. Yes, attacking fans of Rupaul's Drag Race as being unsupportive of the platforming of queer voices. No, he doesn't see the irony.
He published the first nine-page letter before the show aired:
The second four-page note came after the premiere:
In the caption for this second post, Todrick claims that MTV didn't shorten Drag Race for Real Friends, but so that it would fit into syndication more easily with their other hour-long shows. This doesn't really shake out as the channel infamously airs literal hundreds of half-hour Ridiculousness episodes each week, but it's an interesting theory!
For those needing a tl;dr, the notes essentially boil down to "this internet hatred takes a big toll on me" (valid) and "why do the gays act like crabs in a bucket" (almost valid). He also fights claims about not owning his house or paying his rent and not paying his dancers, the latter of which he claims only happens on projects where they discussed non-payment ahead of time.
There's a long, long rabbit hole of other controversies and accusations to fall down with Todrick, many of which we've covered in the past, but suffice it to say these ones he's attempting explain away are the pearly white, squeaky clean tip of the iceberg.
Related: Before 'The Real Friends Of WeHo,' there was the loveable trainwreck 'The A-List: New York'
The star's MLA-formatted, double-spaced argumentative essay against the gays did not, predictably, turn most into supporters. It seems to have mostly deepened some already deep-seated resentment.
As Saucy Santana once said, "One thing about the comments — they are not on your side":
i wish todrick hall would understand that we don't dislike him because he's gay we dislike him because of his personality
— ً! reese (@filmlamet) January 22, 2023
grown ass tryna be regina george & is only george https://t.co/CN4gDeileG
— apaga la luz (@tylersan__) January 22, 2023
Todrick Hall getting on his soapbox to preach that ppl not watching the real friends of WeHo means they don't want true queer representation. Sir. Everyone just doesn't like YOU. pic.twitter.com/UPR5EcLMNM
— Rachel. (@_loveRachel_) January 22, 2023
Todrick running with the stance "if you don't support this show you don't support gays" is so very Todrick of him https://t.co/mVsbEX4KcN
— The Drag Detective (@DragDetective) January 21, 2023
Todrick, when he was coming up with the idea for this video: https://t.co/m7JRB9ueUh pic.twitter.com/VbaGStEcO9
— Liam Gareau (@liamgareau) January 22, 2023
The funniest thing about this is that Todrick clearly misses the entire reason Regina put herself in the book book: to act like a victim, point the finger elsewhere & take zero accountability. https://t.co/azazXCJh4K
— Connor Alexander (@wanderingwolf_) January 22, 2023
You gotta exist in some kind of fresh hell of queerness for all gays of all walks of life to dislike you and let a show fail with 5 other cast mates all to spite to you. https://t.co/oeNyBAf1KM
— (@justxhenry) January 22, 2023
Todrick… we hate YOU https://t.co/N2KliyE9XI pic.twitter.com/8D3Q2YszK6
— tom(ás) (@tomNYC19) January 21, 2023
Todrick making arguments like we owe him and that show support simply for being queer when there are millions of hard-working queer folks doing actual good every day without asking for money or fame. Nobody owes you anything.
— Adam James (@adamj_griff) January 22, 2023
My objection to #RealFriendsOfWeHo is that Todrick Hall at once wants to have no loyalty to his fellow Queers on Celebrity Big Brother & f them over, and then wants the good will of the Queer Community in giving his new show a chance. Hiring him was the shows biggest error
— Curtis Jensen (@curtisjunk) January 17, 2023
Life The Real Friends Of WeHo Todrick Hall
Subscribe to Queerty for a daily dose of #life #therealfriendsofweho #todrickhall stories and more
Rejection sucks and in this case a true necessity.
January 23, 2023 at 2:01pm Log in to Reply
ZzBomb
Sort of getting tired of these rich a-holes blaming the entire community for why their shows or movies don't do well or are not well received. It's not that we don't want queer representation in cinema, b/c we very much do, what we want is content we can relate to.
5 non-friends, with only several actually residing in WeHo (not splitting their time b/t NYC, Palm Springs, Fire Island, and Miami), with amounts of money most of will never achieve, who already have been given the world on a platter is not something I relate to, and I'm more well off than most. It just reeks of privilege.
On a side note: When did drag race go to 90 minutes? Like were the 45 min episodes not vapid enough after the 8th season when I stopped watching?
LumpyPillows
January 24, 2023 at 10:01pm
This reminds me of Elise Stefanik (U.S. House rep. from upstate New York). She said that anyone who disagrees with her — on any topic — is a pedophile. Some people are too delusional to see what's really going on.
Toofie
I thought I could hate watch it but couldn't even get started. It's as vapid as any Real Housewives which I don't care for. So why would I watch the gay version?
Ain't nobody got time for that.
Joule Onyx
HAHAHA he read y'alls asses for filth… maybe now y'all will keep his name out ya mouths…. His Mean Girls skit went so far over most yours heads, plus he came with receipts, can't get paid if the flier says this is not a paying event….He must be doing something right because he keeps making coins "cha ching" dude is getting checks and y'all can't stand it…..Todrick keep doing what ya doing.
Tod's fan club president has spoken.
cuteguy
I truly hope they make better queer media bc this show is going to be cancelled quick and it will go down in flames like the movie Bros
Bros will make money streaming. This show…no so much.
ryepie2222
I support the gays and im all for gay shows! Your show is vapid and gross and shows gays in a terrible light – you happen to be vapid and gross and extremely narcissistic. You have qualities I don't want to watch on TV.
Go away gay
Donston
I don't like it when queers think they are automatically owed support and popularity, especially when they're boring and/or non-talented and/or "problematic". Then when they don't get the success they're looking for they go blaming "the gays" or "the straights". It's tired and predictable and kinda narcissistic.
The problem is that in general, this formula is old. We've already had a couple of decades of being over-saturated with "reality shows" highlighting women (and sometimes queers) being shady towards one another. You think making it focused exclusively on queer males somehow innovates the idea? It's still a tired formula. It's also a show that should probably be on Bravo not MTV. And none of those guys are interesting. Truly innovate and do something legitimately different and distinct and then bitch. When your product is mostly focused on sex or being bitchy or is the "queer version" of a tired formula don't just expect instant success.
jackscott
Todrick is pure trash & the show is horrible. Can we just forget him and move on to other worthy gay performers to highlight??!!
deann
So you are sending HATE to Todrick and you all are saying that he deserve it? That is messed up, it is never OK to send hate to someone especially when they have done anything wrong. And also at no point in his letter he demanded support from the community, you all are just making sh*t up, he just asked you to STOP sending hate.
And also I noticed that none of the haters actually addresses the points Todrick made in his letter, that's because he is right and just call you all out and you know it.
January 24, 2023 at 12:01am Log in to Reply
GentlemanCaller
Honey, it's not hate and Todrick isn't being victimized. He seems to think he's entitled to viewership, applause, encouragement, adoration, and support…and he's not. Rejecting him (and his vapid, entitled, rich, useless costars and his stupid show) is not a rejection of POC, or queer people, or the LGBT community, or WeHo–it's rejection of vapid, entitled, rich, useless people.
Covid Hermit
I have several problems with this show, which is why I have no interest in watching it.
For one, given that I'm in my 40s and it's on MTV, I'm sure it's not aimed at people my age.
Also, it's "reality" TV, which means there's nothing real about it.
And finally, why would I waste my time watching a show about vapid gay celebrities being vapid gay celebrities? No thanks! As others have said, I'm all for representation…but why can't we get representation of people who look and act like real people? I see nothing here that looks like any gay friends that I've ever had, and nothing that resembles real life for most of us!
January 24, 2023 at 4:01am Log in to Reply
Kangol2
The cast members range from their 40s to 20s, I think, so it's in your age range. Brad Goreski is 45! Todrick Hall is 37. Curtis Hamilton is 38. Not sure of the ages of Jaymes, the Zauzig person or Renaud, though. But it's within your age window.
okiloki
He may be self absorbed and out of touch, but the people sending him all that hate over a tv show are not any better.
thisisnotreal
I think Ms Todrick is forgetting one thing…wanting more queer representation, and not being happy with the queer representation we get are not mutually exclusive things. Just because so many of us are desperate for more queer representation in media, DOESNT mean we have to bow down and say "yes ma'am thank you ma'am" to every half baked thing that gets thrown our way and accept it in the name of representation. Sometimes beggars CAN be choosers.
January 24, 2023 at 12:01pm Log in to Reply
I saw nothing on this show that changed my opinion of Todrick Hall. He showed the world who he was on Celebrity Big Brother, another reality show that even he cannot claim was somehow manipulated or mediated. And I say this as someone who enjoyed his music before that abysmal TV turn. He should go back and watch that show to understand why so many people could do without seeing him on TV ever again.
In terms of this show in general, there's nothing here of interest except Curtis Hamilton. I'd watch a show centered on him. Brad Goreski had his own show in the past and at least has interesting things to say. But the rest–meh.
The ratings weren't so hot. Held only 30% of Drag Race's ratings.
I never liked Real Housewives, so this didn't have a chance with me. In many respects I hate people who get rich with no talent, like these people. I know it is shallow, but there it is.
The obsession with acting like overly gushing super fags is such the bleeding hemorrhoid on societies asshole. It's not funny. It's over done. And continually head shaking obnoxious. Could you please find a different note to sing instead of that continually sour one ffs?
bsg1967
The real housewives of "insert here" more balls than these vapid nobodies
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