Although Doja Cat made efforts to cover her tracks and digital traces, she inadvertently left evidence of an online conflict with her fans over the weekend.
Through a series of messages that have since been deleted on Threads, the “Kiss Me More” artist took swipes at her fan base, particularly targeting various fan accounts known as “Kittenz.” These fan accounts are akin to those of Beyoncé’s Beyhive, Taylor Swift’s Swifties, Nicki Minaj’s Barbz, or BTS’ ARMY. However, the distinct difference lies in Doja Cat’s rejection of any specific fan base name for her followers.
In a response to the “Kittenz” nickname used by her fans, Doja Cat expressed her disdain, stating, “My fans don’t name themselves s—.” Various media outlets captured screenshots of her tweets on Threads where she made this rebuke. Furthermore, she urged for the termination of her fan accounts. As a consequence, several of her most popular fan pages on Twitter have either deactivated their accounts or bid farewell.
This is not the first instance of Doja Cat expressing her frustrations towards her fans. Her complex relationship with her fan base has been a prominent element throughout her Grammy-winning career. Her discontent appears to be connected to the pressures of fame and her aspiration to constantly evolve artistically, which sometimes conflicts with her fans’ expectations. Here’s a glimpse into the ongoing drama between Doja Cat and her fans, particularly the Kittenz.
Doja Cat and her fans’ identity debate.
In 2020, Doja Cat became aware of various names circulating online to represent her fan base, including “cubs” and “kittenz.” Wanting to unify her fans under a single identity, she hesitantly conducted a poll, asking which name they preferred. She explained her reluctance, stating, “Because I don’t feel morally right pet-naming you guys.” According to screenshots of the now-deleted tweet, the results showed 74% in favor of “Kittens (Litter)” and 26% for “Cubs (Pride).”
Since then, Doja Cat has rarely used the name “Kittenz.” The only documented instance of her using the term was in a promotional tweet for her 2019 single with Minaj, “Say So.” However, over the weekend, without apparent provocation, Doja Cat completely disassociated herself from the name, disowning it entirely.
“My fans don’t name themselves s—,” she wrote on Threads. “If you call yourself a ‘kitten’ or f— ‘kittenz’ that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house.”
“What should I change my name to since you don’t like the term kitten,” asked fan account @thekittenzweb.
“Just delete the entire account and rethink everything, it’s never too late,” replied Doja Cat.
In response to her statement, several other fan accounts appeared to take notice and followed her directive. Major fan pages, including Doja HQ, the Kittens Room, and Doja Cat News, deactivated their Twitter accounts. Another popular account, Doja Cat Stats, with over 60,000 followers, remains active but posted a farewell message: “Well, it was a great time, I guess. Time to say goodbye.”
Defending her stance, Doja Cat posted, “My life, my rules, my style, my attitude.” She declined one fan account’s request to express love for her fans, asserting, “I don’t, ’cause I don’t even know ya’ll.” She also lashed out at another fan who reminded her of the significance of their support, and she criticized an account using her full name, Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, as “creepy as f—.”
Following these events, the 27-year-old singer-rapper deactivated her Threads account.
In the past, there have been some disagreements:
In March 2022, severe weather conditions compelled Doja Cat to miss a festival performance in Asunción, Paraguay. Fans online expressed their disappointment at her absence and felt that she had been more engaged with neighboring Brazil, neglecting to share anything about her time in Paraguay. Although she apologized, this led to even more scrutiny, with one user even labeling her as “PUBLIC ENEMY #1.”
In response, Doja Cat rescinded her apology, writing: “I’m not sorry,” which led to even more online hate.
Doja changed her Twitter bio name to “i quit,” then updated it again to “i quit still.”
She wrote that she “can’t wait to f— disappear and I don’t need you to believe in me anymore. Everything is dead to me, music is dead, and i’m a f— fool for ever thinking I was made for this this is a f— nightmare unfollow me.”
Later in 2022, the “Woman” performer caught even more heat for apparently DM’ing Noah Schnapp, asking the “Stranger Things” actor, who was a minor at the time, to to connect her with his “fine” co-star Joseph Quinn.
Schnapp proceeded to share the conversation with his impressive 26 million TikTok followers. However, he later deleted it, though some users managed to capture parts of it through screenshots. In response to the leak, Doja Cat referred to the actor as a “borderline snake,” which caused her to lose around 200,000 followers on Instagram.
Then, in April, Doja Cat began teasing new music and made a bold declaration on Twitter, stating, “Rap only … No more pop.” This announcement sparked an open and candid exchange with her fans about what to expect from her upcoming 2023 album. She revealed that she no longer found pop exciting and that her decision to pivot towards rap was partly driven by her critics, asserting, “getting tired of hearing yall say that i can’t [rap] so I will.”
It should be noted that Doja Cat has lost over 200,000 followers following her recent tussle with her fans base
Image credit: Twitter| @dailyloud
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.