The hosts of “The Adam Friedland Show Premium Podcast”, Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen, are attempting to clarify the disturbing comments that Matty Healy made on one of their programs that recently resurfaced online. The singer told the podcast hosts that he consumes adult film content that “brutalizes” Black women, via a website called “Ghetto Gaggers.” The hosts allege that they thought it “was a name that he made up” and “thought that it was funny because of the alliteration.”
They went on to say that “it’s out of our hands now. It’s a story that we felt comfortable with printing, and now our names are being tarnished.” The segment was previously titled “Cumtown” at the time of the programming’s original release, and focused on more controversial topics than the now more mainstream-focused “The Adam Friedland Show.”
The hosts continued to break down the intentions of the various facets of their programming. They additionally criticized Buzzfeed’s reporting on the issue, claiming that they broke the story first, and continued to feed into their absurdist comedy that attempts to look at neo-liberalism.
The Backstory
The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has been stirring the pot for months with his band’s controversial tour. At each show, Healy would kiss fans, feign drunkenness, and even eat raw meat. Eventually, the singer-songwriter spoke on the true meaning of the satirical show. Healy stated that the show was essentially intended to poke fun at the toxic masculinity of rockstars, and even some of his own personal struggles. This explanation in mind, the controversies continued to build.
After allegedly performing what some perceived as a Nazi salute on stage during the band’s track “Love It If We Made It”, making racially charged comments about Asian and Indigenous communities, and rapper Ice Spice, even fans of the band were calling Healy’s ethics into question. Healy did go on to clarify that the salute was meant to critique Kanye West’s rampant antisemitism, as it was performed during a lyric that referenced a tweet from former President Donald Trump. The tweet famously read “Thank you Kanye very cool.”
One TikTok creator pointed out the oddity of the situation, given that Healy frequently works with Grammy-winning Jewish producer Jack Antonoff.
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@daniellesilverstone #greenscreen im so disappointed but not surprised. #taylorswift #swifties #swiftie #mattyhealy #queerrepresentation #queerromance #lgbt #lgbtq #queer #jew #jewish #jewishrepresentation
The Healy-Swift Era
The controversial frontman additionally went on to apologize to Ice Spice publicly on stage. The Ice Spice remarks were made on a more recent episode of “The Adam Friedland Show”, which was later pulled from the platform altogether. Shortly after the apology, he deleted all of his personal social media, saying that “the era of me being an a**hole is coming to an end.” Following the apology, things appeared to die down–or so the music world thought.
After reports broke of the highly acclaimed Taylor Swift calling it quits with her long-term boyfriend of six years, actor Joe Alwyn, things got murky. The Sun reported that Swift began dating Healy after the split. The publication’s credibility was initially questioned, given their long history of publishing rumors about the British royal family and British celebrities at large. Weeks later however, Healy flew all the way from the Philippines to Nashville, Tennessee, to support Swift on her record-breaking “The Eras Tour.”
Healy quietly donned a skeleton onesie and blended in as a guest guitarist with opener Phoebe Bridgers. It was after these shows that Swifties began sleuthing on their favorite singer’s alleged new relationship, and the evidence was examined under a microscope. Neither Swift nor Healy have confirmed or denied their relationship at this time.
The Buzzfeed Article
A report from Buzzfeed detailed the insidious nature of “Ghetto Gaggers” and exactly why the site is unethical and promotes harmful ideas. The article rocked the internet, particularly, Taylor Swift’s massive global fanbase. Many of Swift’s own fans and critics alike felt shocked that the singer could potentially be personally involved with someone like Healy due to his views. This resulted in fans of the 1975 attempting to excuse Healy’s behavior as satire and performance as his alter ego, Truman Black.
@godownxsoftsound Replying to @Keziah you do not have to like matty healy, but can we all use our brains for once? it was obvious to me when listening to the podcast months ago that they were not being serious. and you are all literally proving the point of the podcast by writing letters to taylor swift like the most entited and unhinged group of people. please care about something real. #the1975 #mattyhealy #taylorswift
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Despite the comments and several controversies, Healy has attempted to explain himself under the guise of “performance art” and “satire.” The singer once kissed a male fan in Dubai, UAE, in which same sex relationships are illegal. This effectively banned the 1975 from the nation. Healy additionally once spoke up in favor of abortion rights at a concert in Alabama, a state in which said rights are strictly limited. Swift has previously also defended LGBTQ+ rights.
The Consensus
Neither Healy nor Swift have addressed the mounting controversy surrounding Healy’s past. Fans and onlookers alike remain confused about Healy’s true views, and what it means for the music industry, given the 1975’s several notable female collaborators.
Some argue that regardless of the intent, Healy’s handling of sensitive content is still offensive.
@bryanlicious2 Taylor genuinely let me down
Throughout the rollercoaster of information emerging about Healy, fans remain unsure of whether they need to calm down and accept this London boy or continue to hold their favorite musicians accountable.
