“Don’t bring my big f–king lesbian name into your mouth and into this drama,” Rapp said while reacting to Who’s comments, in which the singer floated the possibility of Rapp finding the “love of [her] life” in a man in the future.
Reneé Rapp is hitting back at Betty Who after she made comments about her sexuality that many deemed “lesbophobic.”
In an interview with Cosmopolitan UK, the 25-year-old singer — who identifies as a lesbian — addressed Who’s remarks she made on a podcast earlier this month, in which the Australian singer said she’d “hold space” for Rapp if she ended up in a straight relationship later in life and found “the love of [her] life” in a man.
“The hot takes are getting kind of crazy,” Rapp told Cosmopolitan UK. “I’m not ending up with a man. Like, let’s just chill.”
When asked if she was “surprised” that she brought up during Who’s podcast appearance, the actress — who is in a relationship with British-Filipino musician Towa Bird — replied, “No, I’m never surprised. People are always going for lesbians! Somebody’s gonna bring my name into the conversation if they want to be in the conversation. So no, it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
“I mean, it’s just very similar to the whole, ‘she hasn’t found the right man,” Rapp continued. “It’s incredibly similar, let’s be so clear. I’m just like, ‘What the f–k? What makes you think I’m gonna end up with a man?’ Also, how about don’t talk about me when it comes to a man? I’m very publicly in a very loving relationship with a woman. So I’m not really sure what about that is so blurry.”
The Mean Girls star — who came out as a lesbian in 2024 after previously identifying as bisexual — went on to note that she “completely understand[s] that identifying yourself can be really difficult.”
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“There is so much pressure when it comes to labelling yourself, but I think that pressure often comes from you. Like, no-one ever had a gun to my head and was like, ‘tell me what you are, right the f–k now’. I had a gun to my own head and I was like, ‘tell me what you are, right the f–k now’, because I was trying to figure it out, because I didn’t know who I was,” she explained. “So I’m always confused whenever people try to do that to other people. Just focus on yourself. Just literally focus on yourself.”
Rapp concluded, “Don’t bring my big f–king lesbian name into your mouth and into this drama.”
Who received backlash earlier this month after she made comments about Rapp — and other queer women — during an appearance on the Made It Out podcast.
“I’m a queer person, who was, like, ‘I’m probably gonna grow up to be gay,’ and then I became obsessed with a boy,” said the singer, who identifies as queer and non-binary and married photographer Zak Cassar in 2020. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. It doesn’t mean that I’m not queer and that I don’t represent or love the queer community and exist in the queer community.”
“A huge part of queerness is identifying yourself and putting yourself under, you know, the alphabet mafia. It’s like, ‘Which one are you?'” Who went on, before bringing up Rapp.
“Reneé Rapp is like, ‘You’ll never catch me dating a man,'” Who said. “Like, ‘Go off, queen. I love that for you!’ But I also hold space for her in 10 years if she goes, ‘Oops, I met the love of my life and it’s this man, I didn’t mean to.’ It’s like, that’s okay. It shouldn’t be illegal for you to fall in love.
“Now, we’ve come so far that our community is so strong that now it’s a crime to be straight,” she added with a laugh.
Who was met with criticism online, with many accusing the “Somebody Loves You” singer of being “lesbophobic.”
Following the backlash, Who issued an apology, sharing a lengthy statement on her Instagram Stories.
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“In recent days, I’ve taken time to sit with the conversation around my gender and sexuality. I recognize that the language I used poorly articulated my experience and unintentionally reinforced ideas that were harmful or dismissive, particularly toward the lesbian community,” Who, 30, began in her statement. “That was never my intention, and I’m truly sorry. Everyone’s journey is deeply personal, and I shouldn’t have spoken in ways that generalized or spoke for others.”
“I went into the interview to discuss my own journey specifically, how I figured out how to identify myself and how I ultimately landed on non-binary and bisexual, both assignments that live somewhere in-between,” she continued. “I understand there is so much nuance in this conversation, and in other people’s lived experiences, that my comments did not reflect. I also recognize that I’m coming from a place of privilege, and I never meant to contribute to prejudice against the community.”
“The LGBTQ+ community is my home; it’s where I came alive, found my people, and learned more about love, acceptance, and tolerance on a deeper human level,” Who added, before concluding, “I will do better.”
