The Drama Between Doja Cat And Her Fanbase The Kittenz Explained
Doja Cat's rollercoaster ride with her fanbase has had its fair share of drama, complete with some terse back-and-forths between the rapper and her online followers. In March 2022, the "Hot Pink" artist came under fire from fans in Paraguay when she was forced to cancel a show. Originally, she issued an apology but quickly backtracked. "I'm not sorry," she told fans (via TMZ). "I'm not taking pictures again with anybody else after this tour." Doja even threatened to quit the industry altogether.
A year later, in July, the "Hot Pink" artist went nuclear on fans online. "I don't give a f**k what you think about my personal life," Doja replied to a disgruntled fan on Instagram, BuzzFeed noted, adding, "I never have and never will." This stemmed from backlash Doja received after photos of her on a yacht with boyfriend J. Cyrus surfaced earlier in the month. Many fans took issue with the rapper dating Cyrus — who gained notoriety on Vine but was the subject of much controversy in the past.
Fans pointed out Cyrus had a problematic past that included allegations of grooming minors, and one Doja fan reposted a statement where he apologized for his actions. According to some, Doja responded by blocking fans who attacked her relationship with Cyrus. Eventually, Doja disavowed her "Kittenz" fanbase altogether.
Doja Cat attacks the fanbase nickname she helped create
After Doja Cat voiced her frustration with fans who questioned her relationship with J. Cyrus, she went on a tangent on Threads where she called out followers who used her real name in their handle. "You making my government name your [screenname] is creepy as f**k," Doja wrote in July. Shortly after, the "Kiss Me More" rapper lambasted the "Kittenz" nickname for her fanbase. "My fans don't get to name themselves s**t," she wrote. "If you call yourself a 'Kitten' or f**king 'Kittenz' that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house," Doja added.
Although multiple followers pointed out Doja's hypocrisy, as she was part of deciding to nickname her fans "Kittenz." In 2020, the artist held a Twitter poll. "Because I don't feel morally right pet-naming you guys," she wrote, in a now-deleted tweet, while giving the options of "Kittens (Litter)" or "Cubs (Pride)," according to the Los Angeles Times.
The tension between Doja and her fans did not stop there, as she continued to share heated exchanges with her followers. One fan asked Doja to say, "I do love you guys," but the rapper refused. "[I] don't though cuz I don't even know yall," she replied. This prompted a mass exodus, and a week later, it was reported she had lost 500,000 Instagram followers. Following these exchanges, fans continued to voice their discontent with Doja's behavior.
Doja Cat has faced serious backlash before
Weeks after Doja Cat posted her displeasure with fans and the nickname of her fanbase, she still received blowback online. On August 7, the "Kiss Me More" artist posted a selfie wearing a knitted mask and sunglasses. "We don't like you no more. Go take your money and just ... disappear," one Instagram user commented, earning thousands of likes. A few days later, Doja uploaded a series of shots to Instagram rocking a tight-fitting cropped top. Once again, several followers turned up in the comment to bash the rapper. "Wtf wrong with you?" one wrote.
That dust-up with fans was not the first time Doja came under severe scrutiny. A "Cancel Doja Cat" movement gained traction in May 2020. This was in response to backlash over her track "Dindu Muffin" — a derogatory term used on some message boards to describe Black people who were victims of police brutality. Doja issued a statement apologizing for using the slur. "The term that I used in the song was one that I learned that day. People were calling me it left and right," she wrote on Twitter (via High Snobiety). A month later, Doja lashed out at a fan who was unsatisfied with her apology. "FINE.... I'm...... I'm........ sorry that I couldn't see sooner that you're a f***ing loser pleb with micro c**k f**k off chump," Doja replied to the fan on Twitter.