Williams was talking about the holiday "Galentine's Day," created by the TV show Parks & Recreation, which celebrates female friendships the day before Valentine's Day.
When she saw men clapping along with the women after a joke, she commented:
"If you're a man and you're clapping, you're not even a part of this. I don't care if you're gay. You don't get a [menstrual period] every 28 days. You can do a lot that we do, but I get offended by the idea that we go through something you will never go through."
Williams then went on to say to gay men:
"Stop wearing our skirts and our heels. Girls, what do we have for ourselves? You'll never be the woman that we are, no matter how gay!"
. @WendyWilliams to LGBT community. “I get offended at the idea that we go through something you will NEVER go thro… https://t.co/lgBnEfyu60— CodeineAmari (@CodeineAmari) 1581620106
Internet users everywhere denounced Williams's comments as homophobic and transphobic.
Oh, Wendy. Your homophobia is showing: Wendy Williams to Gay Men: 'Stop Wearing Our Skirts and Our Heels' https://t.co/qFVwhUsrtv— Jeffrey Luscombe (@Jeffrey Luscombe) 1581626159
@WendyWilliams i love you, i really do but if you’re telling us to stop wearing “y’all skirts and heels”, then give… https://t.co/RZe9Szi6JH— Bru_e_williams 💕 (@Bru_e_williams 💕) 1581637109
.@WendyWilliams, some friendly reminders: 1. Many cis women would be offended by having their womanhood reduced to… https://t.co/yuGEDTaFv1— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️⚧️🇺🇦 (@Charlotte Clymer 🏳️⚧️🇺🇦) 1581633607
Wendy Williams seems to have some trouble avoiding controversy.
Earlier this year, she had to issue an apology after making fun of a scar on Joaquin Phoenix's lip.
In 2018, she said she was "sick" of the #MeToo movement.
Y’all remember when Wendy Williams got coin to do that awful Drag Race commentary during the commercial breaks? 😅 N… https://t.co/bT8xQMQDQ7— Kelly Mantle (@Kelly Mantle) 1581636903
Gays obsessed with @WendyWilliams is on our team: SHE. IS. NOT. Drop her. She's toxic. https://t.co/iX7hS6gmfX— Matthew Rettenmund (@Matthew Rettenmund) 1581624196
Many pointed out notable LGBTQ celebrities who wear high heels and skirts.
#WendyWilliams @WendyWilliams life long watcher but no more! You are a transphobic / homophobic woman who doesn’t g… https://t.co/sNavVdme8Q— Paul Schmidt (@Paul Schmidt) 1581637933
Transphobia is no laughing matter.
Before long, Williams had issued an apology to her fans.
But for many, the damage had been done.
Wendy Williams will have to be more careful in the future—there's a fine but important line between speaking frankly about gender and being ignorant and intolerant.
Lil Nas X, who came out last summer, showed up to the Grammy Awards ceremony in a pink cowboy outfit, containing elements of the leather scene.
His country crossover hit "Old Town Road" was one of the nights live performances.
The artist was also nominated for several awards.
Lil Nas X is a stand user, change my mind https://t.co/yBL5h4M3JD— 💫 (@💫) 1580369310
every time lil nas x effortlessly pulls off an objectively complex outfit like this it's revenge for the 3 weeks of… https://t.co/I94tYm1Mgk— michael wave (@michael wave) 1580125387
This outfit unfortunately caught the attention of Pastor Troy, a fellow Atlanta rapper, who took it upon himself to share Nas' outfit on Instagram in a post that has since been deleted.
Pastor Troy went on a long, homophobic rant & somehow convinced himself that it’s the reason why he doesn’t have a… https://t.co/PWjKNWdhC8— Ronald Isley (@Ronald Isley) 1580315861
The rant, laced with homophobia, goes into detail that Pastor Troy thinks Nas doesn't deserve a Grammy award because he's gay.
Pastor Troy also described an encounter at an Applebees where he and his son were openly homophobic to a gay couple who were "kissing" and "eating mozzarella sticks."
@pastortroydsgb/Instagram
Nas caught wind of the hateful rant.
The 20 year-old star had the most simple, perfect response.
damn i look good in that pic on god https://t.co/dIIKzTFa6X— MONTERO 🦋 (@MONTERO 🦋) 1580318828
But Nas' fans didn't let Pastor Troy get away so easily.
@LilNasX The 1st sentence is already insane. Lol, as if he could pull it off 🙄— Garrett Watts (@Garrett Watts) 1580324593
@LilNasX So... according to pastor troy being a man means *squints at text* being scared of winning a Grammy and *s… https://t.co/ZURCiTip4W— KB Bradshaw (@KB Bradshaw) 1580322653
@LilNasX bruh who tf is Pastor Troy— 💫🌟 (@💫🌟) 1580344377
And Pastor Troy continues to get roasted across the internet.
this should get a grammy before pastor troy https://t.co/kNLS5s2Fnx— sage 😶🌫️ (@sage 😶🌫️) 1580408199
Pastor Troy attempting to come for lil Nas and falling flat on his face in the process is gold. Bruh, none of thes… https://t.co/B78lrNTNOZ— Doreen Caven (@Doreen Caven) 1580395803
What @PastorTroyDSGB looked like later that night thinking about those gay dudes eating cheese sticks at Applebee’s… https://t.co/iKsRbHGFh3— Justin Trout (@Justin Trout) 1580406515
Meanwhile, Nas has more important things to worry about.
Two, in fact.
@LilNasX You have a call from God Sir⬇️🏆🏆💗💕💗💕💗💕💗💕💗💕💗💕💗 https://t.co/F5qh3ArETi— Foxy✨🦊✨🦋 (@Foxy✨🦊✨🦋) 1580319484
And Pastor Troy, 42, is gonna continue getting worked up over mozzarella sticks and his zero Grammys.