Harry Styles leaned into long-standing criticism about “queerbaiting” during his latest appearance on Saturday Night Live — even sharing a same-sex kiss with comedian Ben Marshall in a tongue-in-cheek moment.
The former One Direction star hosted the iconic sketch show on Saturday (14 March), fresh off the release of his fourth solo album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. During his opening monologue, Styles joked about his time away from music, quipping about “creating albums and making songs about fruit that people think are about sex”, before adding, “I just really like fruit, guys. I like sex too.”
He also directly addressed accusations that have followed him for years — particularly claims that he has engaged in queerbaiting through his fashion choices and public persona.
Queerbaiting, a term added to Dictionary.com in 2023, originally referred to fictional media that hinted at LGBTQ+ representation without confirming it. More recently, it has been used to describe real-life celebrities accused of adopting queer aesthetics or ambiguity without publicly identifying as LGBTQ+.
Referencing scrutiny over his style — including wearing dresses and skirts — Styles joked: “Back then, people seemed to pay a lot of attention to the clothes I was wearing, something called queerbaiting.
“And some people accused me of it but did it ever occur to you that… maybe you don’t know everything about me, dad?”
The singer has previously pushed back on such claims. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian around the release of Fine Line, he said: “Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No.”
He added that his creative decisions are driven by aesthetics rather than labels: “I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool.”
In 2022, speaking to Better Homes & Gardens, Styles described the expectation to define his sexuality as “outdated”, explaining: “The whole point of where we should be heading… is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything.”
Back on the SNL stage, Styles continued the playful tone, joking that “sometimes kissing can be great… if you’re really good at it, and you’re a good person, or if you have a tight little bum”.
Moments later, cast member Ben Marshall joined him on stage, and the pair shared a kiss. Turning to the camera, Styles quipped: “Now that’s queerbaiting!”
