‘Toxic’ music video director claims Avatar had no cultural impact because gays don’t like it
Music video director Joseph Kahn shared his thoughts on Avatar in no uncertain terms. (20th Century Fox/Getty)
Music video director Joseph Kahn shared his thoughts on Avatar in no uncertain terms. (20th Century Fox/Getty)
Influential music video director Joseph Kahn has suggested that the Avatar film franchise has had “no cultural impact” as gay people “cannot give a f**k” about it.
Kahn, who is best known for directing music videos for artists including Britney Spears (“Toxic”), Lady Gaga (“LoveGame”) and Taylor Swift (“Look What You Made Me Do”; “Bad Blood”), claimed that Avatar doesn’t “tap into the Gay industrial complex that highly influences media”.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, on 24 November, the director described the five-part film series as a “boomer cruise”.
“Here’s my theory why Avatar has no cultural impact even though they are the biggest selling films of all time. Gays cannot give a f**k about Avatar,” he wrote.
“No one aspires to be or have sex with a giant cat alien. Therefore it does not tap into the Gay industrial complex that highly influences media – from fashion editors to music critics to bon vivants.”
Kahn went on to describe Avatar as “the most boring person at the party” which has managed to succeed materially, but not culturally.
“Avatar is a boomer cruise, a solid Hawaiian boomer vacation with nice sunsets and all you can eat chicken satays,” he wrote.
“There’s no reciprocation from the cool people so these movies quietly scoop up all the uneventful dollars with minimal fuss, controversy, and cultural impact. That’s what happens when the Gays ignore you.”
The director’s take divided social media users, with one arguing that other film franchises that do not cater to a gay audience have had a cultural impact.
The user offered Fast & Furious, Terminator, John Wick and Star Wars as such examples.
Yet Kahn doubled down on his point, writing in response: “John Wick is homoerotic man grappling. Terminator is a muscular man in biker leather. Star Wars is light saber d**k tapping. Fast & Furious? Gay.”
It’s fair to say Kahn knows a thing or two about influencing popular culture, and how to get the gay community on board to do so.
He has worked with a legion of gay icons throughout his 35 year career, including George Michael, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue and Mariah Carey.
The 53-year-old most recently directed the music video for Carey’s 2025 hit, “Type Dangerous”.
He has received two Grammy Awards, for directing Eminem’s 2002 “Without Me” video and Taylor Swift’s 2015 “Bad Blood” video.
Despite Kahn’s claims, the success of the sci-fi smash Avatar films has made it one of the highest grossing movie franchises of all time.
The eponymous debut film in the series, created and directed by James Cameron and released in 2009, was lauded as the future of cinema due to its filming techniques and special effects, which were revolutionary at the time.
The much anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, which landed in 2022, won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award at the 2023 ceremony.
The third film in the series, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is due for release on 19 December this year.
Fans will have to wait until 2029 and 2031 for the fourth and fifth installments in the franchise.
Despite its box office success, the Avatar series has faced questioning from culture journalists who share similar sentiment to Kahn on whether the films have had a broad impact on popular culture.
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