Jeffree Star is no stranger to internet drama.
The button-pushing makeup mogul went viral — again — after making comments on nonbinary pronouns during a podcast interview that premiered on Valentine’s Day.
“You’re not ‘they’ and ‘them,’ ” Star told NFL player Taylor Lewan on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast. “You’re trans, you’re male or you’re female.”
The 37-year-old influencer, who is openly gay, suggested pronoun culture is a new thing that stemmed from people being “bored” — especially during the pandemic.
“‘They’ and ‘them’ and all that extra s – – t that we added during the pandemic. Because everyone is so bored on their f – – king houses they just started to make up more s – – t,” he said in a now-viral Twitter video.
Star added, “And people get so mad when I say that. How are you a ‘they?’ What the f – – k does that mean?”
The YouTuber clarified that he knew attacking pronouns is unpopular, but he believes it’s not hateful to do so.
“It’s stupid is what it is. But you need someone like me that looks like me to say it. Because if you say it, it turns into, ‘You’re homophobic, you hate trans people, you hate gays,’ and it’s just how you feel,” Star said. “You don’t hate anyone, you just think it’s stupid.”
“That’s where the conservatives like me, cause I’m just real,” he added.
Lewan, 31, agreed with Star, saying that he “can sit here comfortably on camera and say that I truly just don’t understand” the pronoun phenomenon, to which Star replied, “And that’s OK, it doesn’t mean you’re hateful.”
Star has been known to break gender norms himself, with his iconic long pink hair and often sporting dresses and heels.
Many took to social media to slam the beauty guru for his comments, which have caused a lot of confusion considering he seems to have previously supported gender ambiguity saying in an old video that “gender ambiguity can be found in makeup, fashion, sexual identity, gender identity, anything.”
One user shared a clip of the 2017 video, commenting, “So just in case it wasn’t already clear, @JeffreeStar is a grifter who will throw the entire LGBTQ+ community under the bus if it makes him that bag.”
“We can add Jeffree Star hating non-binary people to his ever-growing list of bigotry,” one person tweeted. “This was actually disgusting to hear coming straight out of his mouth. I am not exaggerating.”
“Jeffree star hating nonbinary ppl when he has said he identifies as nothing umm the call is coming from inside the house,” another wrote.
“Jeffree Star capitalising off and profiting from the LGBTQ+ experience and then selling them out for conservative approval,” someone else tweeted.
“Jeffree Star, an old man wearing wigs, makeup and women’s clothes, ‘doesn’t understand’ the existence of non-binary/non-conforming people? the same people who paved the way for him to garner any kind [of] professional respect?” a user questioned.
“Babe you used to say you were bored of being male/female and that you were an alien or some s – – t… let’s stop trying to get clicks we all know you do not care,” someone tweeted.
Star addressed the backlash in his Instagram Stories, saying, “What we’re not going to do is misconstrue what I said. To anyone making it seem like I said nonbinary people don’t exist, I never said that.”
One user shared a screen recording of Star’s Instagram Stories, adding, “He literally said in the podcast ‘you’re either male or your female’ so yeah you kinda did say they don’t exist, by invalidating someone’s pronouns you’re invalidating them and their existence, you back peddling bigot.”
Star added in his stories, “Bitch, I’m a freak . . . I don’t like labels.”