Dylan Mulvaney cooly responds to backlash over Six the Musical casting: ‘This is a miracle’
Dylan Mulvaney has addressed backlash to her being cast as Anne Boleyn in Six. (Getty/TikTok/@DylanMulvaney)
Dylan Mulvaney has addressed backlash to her being cast as Anne Boleyn in Six. (Getty/TikTok/@DylanMulvaney)
Actress and author Dylan Mulvaney has defiantly responded to fierce backlash after she was cast in the role of Anne Boleyn in Broadway musical Six.
On 16 January, it was announced that Dylan Mulvaney, 29, would be taking on the role of Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn in Six. The stage show is a modern retelling of the lives of the king’s six wives told via a pop concert.
Swiftly after the musical theatre star’s involvement was revealed, she was targeted by anti-trans trolls who raged that the role of a female character had been given to a trans woman.
Some fumed about the historical inaccuracy of casting a trans woman as Anne Boleyn, despite musical Six also depicting the six wives of Henry VIII as forming a pop band, which is not believed to have occurred in real life.
In Six, the lead characters are also noted as having been inspired by pop icons including Beyoncé, Lily Allen and Britney Spears. It is not believed that Anne Boleyn, born at the turn of the 16th century, was actually inspired by said pop stars.
Other critics slammed Mulvaney’s casting by claiming that she isn’t theatrically talented enough for the role, or alleging that she was only offered the role due to her large social media following.
The backlash against Mulvaney’s casting resulted in the official social media pages for the Broadway production having to turn off its comment section.
In a TikTok video posted on 19 January, Mulvaney responded to her detractors with bracing positivity.
She started the four-minute-long video by celebrating “day 1408 of girlhood”, aka 1408 days since she came out publicly as a trans woman.
“I’ve gotten so many lovely messages since this was announced, especially from folks that have followed me since the beginning of my journey. I just want to thank you so much and I hope you get to enjoy this as much as I do,” she said, before briefly turning her attention to the trolls.
“I’ve also gotten some not so lovely messages questioning my abilities, or just hating in general. My first instinct was to come on her and try to convince those people that I do have what it takes to be a Broadway performer and to tell you why. Then I realised that I shouldn’t waste my breath on that because this is a miracle,” she said.
“It’s a miracle for anyone to make it to Broadway. There are so many incredible performers that deserve to be and I genuinely hope that they will.”
Dylan Mulvaney’s career began as a theatre performer, with the actress appearing in the national tour of The Book of Mormon as Elder White. She has since performed in her own musicals Faghag at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and most recently, The Least Problematic Woman in the World Off-Broadway in 2025.
Mulvaney continued in her video by explaining why it’s important for her, as a trans woman, to play a role such as Anne Boleyn.
“Being a trans person in 2026 when this world is working against us in what feels like every way, for me to being able to step out onto a Broadway stage as Anne Boleyn and perform an iconic historical character’s role in a show that is so rooted in celebrating femininity, I think that’s a miracle,” she said.
She also quietly agreed that her extensive social media presence – she has more than 10 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined – may have helped her to excel her acting career, but noted that it was no easy ride.
I’m one of Anne’s biggest enthusiasts and I have no problem with this. Six is not a historically accurate depiction. It reimagines the archetypes of the wives as modern performers ending in a girlband. Tbh it’s actually pretty inspired to cast someone who is seen as too modern… https://t.co/6RLhGE1zLd
— 🇵🇸 Claudia Boleyn MA🌹Lesbian🌹she/her (@ClaudiaBoleyn) January 17, 2026
“If I had to go viral and find myself in a far-right media firestorm and spend many years and many tears wondering why that was happening and trying desperately to get back to what I once loved which was theatre, I would do it all over again,” she continued.
In 2023, Mulvaney became embroiled in a months-long anti-trans campaign by right-wing media outlets and political commentators, after she appeared in a 48-second-long commercial for beer brand Bud Light.
The controversy saw the brand’s parent company Anheuser-Busch targeted by bomb threats, while Bud Light stock was destroyed – including by singer Kid Rock. In her debut memoir Paper Doll, Mulvaney wrote about the lasting impact of the scandal on her mental health.
“If there are any queer or trans kids watching, I just want you to know that you can literally do anything,” she rounded off.
“Do not let anyone take away what brings you joy…. It might not feel like it but there are so many people cheering you on, and I am one of them.”
Dylan Mulvaney will play Anne Boleyn in Six on Broadway from 16 February.
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