JoCat "I Like Girls" Harassment and Doxxing Controversy

Overview

JoCat "I Like Girls" Harassment and Doxxing Controversy refers to a viral debate regarding a 30-second animation video created by YouTuber JoCat in 2021, which was a gender-bent parody cover of Lizzo's song "Boys" titled "I Like Girls." Discourse about the animation surfaced in late 2023 in which many on Twitter / X perceived the video as cringe. In turn, many made fun of JoCat and allegedly harassed him on social media, as well as offline. The posts led JoCat to announce an "indefinite break" from content creation in December 2023, citing harassment and attempted doxxing caused by the viral discussions and memes.

Background

On October 6th, 2020, YouTuber^[1] JoCat was streaming Baldur's Gate 3, during which (at the stream's 45:17-minute mark) JoCat spontaneously sang a parody of Lizzo's song "Boys" that was later titled "I Like Girls" (shown below).

On April 2nd, 2021, JoCat posted an animation to YouTube^[2] that animated his "Boys" cover titled "I Like Girls." Over two years, the video received roughly 11.1 million views and 567,000 likes (shown below).

Additionally, JoCat's inspiration for the animation was a precursor animation posted by YouTuber^[12] Hakkim Animation on August 10th, 2019.

Memes using the video surfaced online as early as 2021, predominantly on iFunny and Twitter / X. For instance, on November 16th, 2021, iFunnier^[3] @Luijiihad made a meme with the video, gaining over 4,500 smiles in two years (shown below, left).

On November 22nd, 2021, iFunnier^[4] @GushinGranny1 posted the video with a top caption reading, "How the hell can this guy make liking women seem so f---ing gay," gaining over 200 smiles in two years (shown below, right).

Twitter Criticism

On February 21st, 2023, X^[6] user @mask_bastard reposted iFunnier^[4] @GushinGranny1's video, gaining over 16,700 likes in one day. The tweet gained multiple quote tweets ^[7] in which users levied criticism of the video, mostly labeling it as cringe.

Then, on February 22nd, 2023, JoCat tweeted^[8] a meme about the discourse that likened his opponents' tweets to "Jocat Cringe for Clout," gaining over 15,000 likes in 10 months (shown below).

In late April and early March 2023, other since-deleted tweets^[5][9][10] generated discourse and memes about the video. On May 22nd, 2023, X^[11] user @ssundeefantweet posted the video, captioned, "I was gonna use this video for bait but I just can’t man this is the worst video in the world," gaining over 13,000 likes in seven months (shown below).

On December 13th, 2023, X^[23][13] user @ZeroSuitCamus tweeted the video, writing, "Just made this video. Let me know what you think!" gaining roughly 5.8 million views and 6,900 likes in one day (shown below). The tweet inspired another slew of posts mostly levied against JoCat, additionally inspiring a community note that corrected @ZeroSuitCamus' satirical claim.

JoCat's "Indefinite Break" Announcement

On December 18th, 2023, JoCat posted a tweet^[14] that stated, "If this is what it takes to be a content creator online, I don't think I'm cut out for it," and announced his "indefinite break from making content," receiving over 6.7 million views and 25,000 likes in less than a day (shown below).

The tweet also linked to a webpage called jocat.net,^[15] which included a long-form statement that elaborated on the tweet. JoCat claimed that there had been "threats of violence to me as well as my family" and "doxxing attempts" due to the negative reactions from "I Like Girls." JoCat also claimed that "suspicious packages" had been shipped to his family. Due to these factors and more, JoCat formerly announced his "indefinite break" from content creation.

On December 19th, JoCat added two posts^[26] to the aforementioned thread, clarifying that @ZeroSuitCamus was not the cause of the harassment and doxxing he and his family received and that those instances of hate had taken place long before her post.

Online Reaction

In the aftermath of the JoCat's announcement, many users on X reacted to the unfolding drama. For instance, fellow streamer and YouTuber Shenpai started a thread^[16] on December 18th, 2023, which defended Jocat and labeled his opponents as "vitriolic, clout chasing, [and] ignorant," gaining over 11,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, left).

Others, like X^[17] user @Will_the_Rose on December 18th, reacted more humorously, quoting with a Peter Griffin meme reading, "Me getting executed for being straight in 2050," gaining over 1,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, right).

Others, like X^[18] user @xaviersonline_, cited @ZeroSuitCamus' tweet^[13] as a catalyst for Jocat's ultimate decision.

During the same timeframe, others expressed their belief that JoCat's decision was rash and unjustified, such as X^[19] user @notbigracks on December 18th, 2023, who quoted JoCat, writing, "Dude made an annoying horny video and everyone was like 'gross' and he said ok goodbye internet LMFAOOO," gaining over 790 likes in less than a day (shown below).

Rebuttals were levied against @notbigracks as well, like X^[20] user @PapaMeanie who replied, "People were calling him a sexual predator … for a week straight let's not pretend this was a normal reaction to a silly video lol."

ZeroSuitCamus Un-Suspension / Apology

On December 19th, 2023, X^[21] user @ZeroSuitCamus shared a tweet as their account was officially un-suspended. The tweet started by stating, "I’m sorry to JoCat for the joke," going on to write, "More his fault than mine that it did bc he quote tweeted it to his 150,000 followers who replied yelling at me 1,300 times which kinda boosted it but I digress." The post received over 7,900 likes in less than a day (shown below).

X^[22] user @ZeroSuitCamus then followed up on the tweet with a reply that stated, "I really actually do feel bad tho. It was a dumb joke and I wouldn’t have made it if I knew the result would be him quitting content creation indefinitely…" gaining over 3,400 likes in less than a day (shown below).

Online Reaction

@ZeroSuitCamus' tweet gained numerous reactions, such as X^[24] user @ZombHarris who criticized the apology on December 19th, 2023, gaining over 260 likes in a day (shown below, left).

Also on December 19th, X^[25] user @theangeleverly replied in support of @ZeroSuitCamus, stating, "ur literally fine the joke wasn't even bashing him or his content it was implying u made content that u didn't," gaining over 500 likes in less than a day (shown below, right).

Search Interest

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External References