Harry Styles Teasingly Responds to “Queerbaiting” Accusations on Saturday Night Live
In Harry Styles’ world, anything goes—and his latest appearance on Saturday Night Live was no different.
The multi-platinum artist, who was not only the host but also the music guest on the March 14 show, took a jab at the rumors surrounding his sexual preferences by planting a kiss on SNL cast member Ben Marshall.
While reminiscing about his solo career in his opening monologue, Harry, 32, said he “used to write songs about fruit that people think were about sex.” He elaborated how “I seemed to be a magnet for people’s attention in terms of the clothes I was wearing, and some even accused me of something called ‘queerbaiting.’”
Queerbaiting – the “act of trying to attract and profit from LGBTQ audiences or consumers in a misleading or superficial way,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary – never was one of the intentions of the former One Direction member. Taking the conversation lightly with a playful gesture on SNL, Harry portrayed a confident and humorous person.
Harry Styles Talks about His New Album and Kissing on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in a Funny Way
Harry Styles put his sharp humor on display during ‘Saturday Night Live’. Among other things, he joked about the very unusual title of his new album, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.” He chuckled that this title came from ChatGPT when he asked it: “the most Italian phrase to ever exist”.
Besides, the “Watermelon Sugar” vocalist revealed that he is actually not a fan of kissing everybody. “What’s better than kissing all the time?,” Harry mused, as SNL star Chloe Fineman popped up enthusiastically behind him. He even said, “Actually, I don’t do that. I really don’t want to kiss all the time.”
Chloe, understanding the message, exited the stage with a disappointed face, making the audience laugh uncontrollably. Harry’s engaging teasing and humor at his own expense are the reason of his increasing popularity among his fans worldwide.
Harry Styles Playfully “Queerbaits” Saturday Night Live by Kissing Ben Marshall
On his Saturday Night Live episode, Harry Styles made a humorous statement about the technique of kissing. “Occasionally, kissing is really wonderful,” he remarked when Chloe Fineman’s Sarah Sherman counterpart reached the stage, “provided you are really good at it and a good person.”
Seeing that Sarah did not fit his criteria, she left the stage to clear the way for a new contender—someone with whom Harry had a plan “a tight little bum.” At this moment, SNL’s Ben Marshall appeared to the crowd’s delight.
“Hey, Ben. What brings you up here?” Harry inquired. Ben answered, “Well, you said tight little bum…so where’s my kiss?”
Though Harry made a sarcastic remark, “There’s nothing little about that thing,” he gave up at last and kissed Ben. Harry looked at the camera, winked, and said, “Now that’s queerbaiting.”
The teasing bit was a light-hearted reference to the discussions about his identity and public persona which were also mixed with his style.
