Dannii Minogue lost followers after announcing LGBTQ+ dating show, and she couldn’t care less
Dannii Minogue has revealed that her follower count dropped on social media following the announcement that she would be hosting the BBC gay dating show, I Kissed A Boy.
While we’re absolutely obsessed with BBC Three’s new LGBTQ+ dating show I Kissed A Boy, it seems that not everyone shared the same love when it was announced that pop princess Dannii Minogue would be playing matchmaker to a group of gay men looking for love.
The general reception to the show has been overwhelmingly positive, with viewers and critics praising the carefree, unfiltered nature in which the show portrays the intricacies of queer life. That said, it’s a given that any mainstream representation of LGBTQ+ identity is going to attract hate – and Minogue has now revealed a plummeting follower count to prove the point.
Appearing on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, the “Don’t Wanna Lose This Feeling” singer opened up about what she thinks of the negative reactions to the show.
“People have been scared to make a show like this,” she said. “I get the feeling sometimes it’s like: ‘Oh, well not everyone wants to see that’, and… my answer is: ‘You don’t have to watch’.
“There’s plenty of other programming out there. You literally do not have to turn the TV on, people.”
Minogue then followed up with the revelation that when her role as host and “cupid” on I Kissed A Boy was announced, she was inundated with messages from bigots informing her that she’d lost their support – despite her being a longstanding and vocal ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I got a bunch of messages when we announced that the show was starting, and a bunch of people saying: ‘I am now unfollowing you, this is just too much’, and I’m thinking: ‘All the years of Mardi Gras and Pride, and this is too much for you?'”
Minogue recently explained the reason why she jumped at the chance to get involved with I Kissed A Boy, citing her love for the LGBTQ+ community and the show’s authenticity in how it portrays queer men.
“I think the show’s an education of how different all the guys in there are, their lifestyles are so different, there’s not one kind of person and that’s real credit to the show. People get down to nitty gritty with conversation, I love it,” she told metro.co.uk.
“I’m so happy that [the] BBC is kicking the door down, putting the show out there because it’s nuts that it’s 2023 and this has never happened before.”
Minogue also recently announced a new single to rival older sister Kylie’s highly catchy “Padam Padam“.
“We Could Be The One,” which happens to be I Kissed A Boy‘s theme song, will be released 2 June. All proceeds will go to Switchboard, an LGBTQ+ helpline that provides a safe space for people to discuss sexuality, gender identity, sexual health and emotional wellbeing.
I Kissed a Boy continues on Saturday at 11pm on BBC Three, and is repeated on BBC One on Wednesday night. Episodes are also available to stream on BBC iPlayer.