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Fans upset over Joshua Bassett's #DontMissTheKiss queerbaiting controversy
Allegedly, his upcoming tour will see him fully embrace his sexuality.
Many in the LGBTQ+ community know what it’s like to have an identity crisis, especially one marred by religious affiliations and personal beliefs. A lot of members of the community are also, unfortunately, all too familiar with things like queerbaiting to capture the attention of an audience.
Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Joshua Bassett is seemingly all too familiar with these topics himself.
Quick backstory, for the uninitiated:
Bassett accidentally came out in 2021 following some drama he had involving relationships with both Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter. ""Who doesn't think Harry Styles is cool?" gushed the singer at the time. "Also, he's hot. He's very charming too. Lots of things. I guess this is also my coming out video I guess." He then told People that, although he “wasn’t intending to come out,” doing so left him liberated.
Following that, he also told Attitude that coming out was “one of the easiest” things he’s ever done.
Fast-forward to a year or so later, and fans started worrying because he deleted all of his coming out posts from Instagram and started talking about his Christian spirituality.
from Fauxmoi
These posts sparked further concern in fans who feared that he may have been radicalized or that his accounts had been hacked.
Fans' worry escalated after Bassett’s baptism at a profoundly anti-LGBTQ+ church, a move he apologized for after admitting he “did not endorse” all of the church’s policies and beliefs.
While Bassett is far from the only one to have inner conflict, fans are irritated that, ahead of his 2025 tour, he posted a video of himself almost kissing another man, captioned #DontMissTheKiss.
In the video, as they pull away from the pretend kiss, Bassett says, “You want to see this? You better buy your tickets for Europe, baby. What, are you not gonna be there when him and I lock lips? Buy your tickets before it’s too late.”
@joshuatbassett #DontMissTheKiss
Needless to say, this ruffled feathers because people believe it’s a marketing ploy to help him sell more tickets, and not something authentic to who he is. Plus, others are questioning his loyalty to Christianity now, as well as whether or not he’s still actually questioning his own sexuality.
We’re all for people figuring themselves out, but this one does seem a little icky considering the current volatility of the queer community in this political state. Though, admittedly, a number of fans also don't consider this queerbaiting since he has at least publicly addressed his sexuality at some point in the past.
Grab your tickets for the tour, if you want them, and keep scrolling for other reactions to the “kiss.”
Andrew J. Stillman is a freelance writer and yoga instructor exploring the world. Check him out at andrewjstillman.com or follow him @andrewjstillman on all the things.
Andrew J. Stillman is a freelance writer and yoga instructor exploring the world. Check him out at andrewjstillman.com or follow him @andrewjstillman on all the things.
