Much to our delight, Harry Styles took the stage on Saturday Night Live to host and perform his latest singles from his new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. The former One Direction star once again reminded audiences of his surprisingly sharp comedic timing. Honestly, after Don't Worry Darling, someone needs to cast him in a full-blown comedy — ideally with a little less off-screen drama.
During his opening monologue, Styles also addressed the long-running accusations that he has been “queerbaiting” fans; a term used when celebrities hint at same-sex attraction without confirming anything outright, often seen as a way to appeal to queer audiences while avoiding backlash from more conservative ones. Think Taylor Swift's You Need to Calm Down music video.
Hand in hand, they attended an SNL afterparty.
The criticism has followed Styles for years, fuelled by moments such as his gender-fluid fashion choices, his role as a gay man in My Policeman, and his continued decision to keep his own sexuality private. The conversation sits at the centre of a broader cultural tension: celebrating freedom of expression around gender and sexuality, while also pushing back against rainbow-washing or the commodification of queer culture.
“Back then, people seemed to pay a lot of attention to the clothes I was wearing and some people accused me of something called ‘queerbaiting,’” Styles said during the monologue, before letting out a comically melodramatic howl and adding: “But did it ever occur to you that maybe you don’t know everything about me, Dad?”
By the end of the bit, Styles doubled down on the joke, grabbing SNL cast member Ben Marshall and planting a kiss on him. Turning to the camera with a wink, he delivered the punchline: “Now that’s queerbaiting.”
The internet was buzzing
The internet, as always, is divided on the moment. On one side, plenty of fans found it hilarious. After all, some of the best SNL sketches come from hosts leaning into the weird and wacky rumours, obsessive fan theories and viral internet discourse surrounding them.
Many viewers appreciated Styles’ nod to the online chatter, seeing it as a cheeky, good-natured acknowledgement rather than a serious statement.
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Others, however, read more into it than just a skit or a playful kiss. For some, Styles’ moment on stage was seen as a potential “coming out.”
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The kiss and his cheeky nod to “queerbaiting” also ruffled plenty of feathers. Critics argued that it risked trivialising the conversation around representation, making light of a topic that many feel deserves nuance and respect rather than a punchline.
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Celebrities don't owe us their sexuality
The subject of queerbaiting is a tricky one for several reasons, and the conversation around Harry Styles’ SNL moment really highlights why.
Firstly, there’s the assumption that certain behaviours are inherently queer. In Styles’ case, people tied supposed queerness to his fashion choices: skirts, feather boas and makeup. But clothing and accessories aren’t a universal sign of sexual orientation. Limiting self-expression to “this means gay, this means straight” is a restrictive view of gender and identity. Honestly, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the sea of black tuxedos at award shows, so a little stylish rebellion is welcome!
Some argue that these markers help queer people spot each other. As a femme bisexual woman, I’ve leaned on things like fine-line tattoos and a nose ring to signal my orientation. Yet trends spread, and now straight women are adopting the same markers. Jorts and carabiners? Once queer female staples, now mainstream. It’s complicated.
Secondly, there’s the demand for artists to label their sexuality for us. This is, frankly, gross. Celebrities don’t owe anyone a rainbow emoji in their bio or a same-sex kiss for validation. Billie Eilish’s experience is a perfect example: she didn’t intend to disclose her bisexuality, then faced accusations of queerbaiting when she dated a man again. Seriously?!
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Thirdly, the queerbaiting discourse is deeply heteronormative. There’s this pressure for people to “prove” themselves as queer through public gestures, or else they’re assumed straight. It’s the old narrative: confirm you’re gay or you’re straight. Honestly, I don’t want to live life boxed into the “Other” category.
This ties into broader biphobia. Think about the Gaylor mythology: Taylor Swift is supposedly a secret lesbian because of past friendships or alleged flings with Karlie Kloss and Dianna Agron. Her relationships with men? Ignored. Her potential bisexuality? Minimised. Why do we insist on pigeonholing people instead of letting them exist outside rigid categories? In my ideal world, we’d assume everyone is bi until told otherwise — kidding… kind of.
I get it. There’s a thrill in claiming “HARRY STYLES IS ONE OF US!” But it’s not our place. We don’t own these celebrities, their music, their relationships, or their sexuality. We need to resist the urge to over-speculate and just take what’s given.
Here’s what we actually know:
- Harry Styles has impeccable style — duh.
- He’s dated Kendall Jenner, Taylor Swift, and likely more people we’ll never know about.
- He's currently dating Zoe Kravitz.
- He kissed a man during his SNL monologue as a cheeky nod to internet discourse.
- He then performed incredible music.
The end.
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