Let’s unpack this together…
BY NIAMH LENEGHAN, IMAGE VIA YOUTUBE/KING PRINCESS
If your social media feed has suddenly become very invested in King Princess and Clairo’s sexuality, you’re not alone. The two pop stars have recently found themselves at the centre of separate social media debates about their sexualities.
For King Princess, the conversation began after a 2024 podcast clip resurfaced in which she discussed having previously slept with men while making clear that she does not identify as bisexual.
The clip comes from Celebrity Book Club with Steven & Lily, where King Princess was asked about a “bi phase.”
The singer spoke about previously sleeping with men, joking that she might do so when she was bored. The podcast clip quickly sparked backlash online, with some commenters arguing that King Princess should identify as bisexual.
According to Them, one person wrote: “Lesbians don’t get bored and feel attracted to men, it’s disrespectful to misuse labels.” Another commented: “It’s okay to be bi. What’s up with everyone misusing labels now?”
How did King Princess respond?
In a now-deleted TikTok, King Princess hit back at comments questioning her sexuality. She said: “You’re pissed that I’ve slept with a guy. I have never been in love with a man. I have never dated a man.”
She also questioned whether having slept with men made her “less of a lesbian” because she is not a “gold star” lesbian – a term sometimes used to describe a lesbian who has never had sex with a man.
Although the original video has since been deleted, a repost shared on X has received more than two million views.
King Princess later responded to another comment calling her bisexual. “I am a lesbian,” she said. “I’ve been a lesbian, I will continue to be a lesbian.”
She added: “You can’t tell me what my sexuality is.”
The saga continued
The conversation took another turn when King Princess appeared to suggest that several queer female pop stars were hiding relationships with men.
In another TikTok, she said there were “a bunch” of famous women who were “actively lying about being gay”.
She later wrote in a comment that people should “check on the pop divas” who were “actively lying about being gay” while in committed relationships with men.
She did not name the women she was referring to or provide evidence for the claims.
It’s not just King Princess
Elsewhere on social media, Clairo has also been at the centre of a conversation about her sexuality
Clairo, who identifies as bisexual, was also pulled into a controversy after a fan told her on X that they “kinda respect” that she had “stopped pretending to like girls”.
Clairo’s response was pretty blunt.
“Why do I have to prove to everyone who I sleep with?” she wrote. “Do you guys want a list or something? Be so for real.”
And this isn’t exactly new territory for Clairo. In 2022, she pushed back against accusations of “queerbaiting” after dating men, writing: “I’m not any less bi because of it!”
While Clairo and King Princess are at the centre of two separate conversations, both have sparked discussion about how we talk about queer women’s sexuality – and how much weight we place on who they date or sleep with.
And judging by TikTok, X and the discourse currently unfolding in the sapphic corners of the internet, we’re probably not seeing an end to the debate anytime soon.
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