Miami Vice-gate / Chaedria LaBouvier Miami Vice Controversy

Overview

Miami Vice-gate, also known as Chaedria LaBouvier Miami Vice Controversy, refers to a viral controversy that unfolded on Twitter / X in early July 2024 after Chaédria LaBouvier, a one-time Guggenheim curator with the Twitter handle @chaedria, quote-tweeted film critic Brandon Streussnig expressing they were happy they showed their girlfriend the 2006 Michael Mann film Miami Vice, dissing the movie and "straight" culture. After she received pushback in her comments from people calling the tweet rude, she refused to stop arguing with commenters, resulting in days of discourse and memes about the unending drama. Highlights include a moment in which @chaedria doxxed one of her critics, as well as the phrasal templates "Straight men live on a completely different planet than the rest of us, WHOT is this" and "gf asked me to show her my favorite movie tonight. Probably the most important step in the relationship. No goin back now" emerging as memes.

Background

On July 4th, 2024, Twitter user and film critic Brandon Streussnig (@BrndnStrssng)^[1] posted a clip from the 2006 film Miami Vice, writing, "gf asked me to show her my favorite movie tonight. Probably the most important step in the relationship. No goin back now."

On July 5th, Twitter user Chaedria LaBouvier (@chaedria)^[2] then quote-tweeted the clip, writing, "Straight men live on a completely different planet than the rest of us, WHOT is this." The tweet gained over 5.9 million views, 370 replies, 700 retweets and 600 likes in four days (shown below).

Of note, LaBouvier worked as a curator for the Guggenheim Museum in 2019. During that time, she reportedly clashed with the museum's artistic director, Nancy Spector, and claimed to be the subject of racial discrimination. An independent investigation found LaBouvier was not discriminated against because of her race, but the backlash led to Spector's resignation from the museum.^[3]

Developments

Over the following days, LaBouvier received backlash to her critical tweet of Streussnig showing Miami Vice to his girlfriend, as many found it unnecessarily rude. LaBouvier replied to dozens of critical responses, often in quote-tweets, arguing with commenters who grew increasingly agog that she continued to argue over something so seemingly trivial.

In one notable exchange on July 8th, 2024, three days after her first tweet, she responded to a Twitter user named Ryan Davis, who wrote, "Would you be willing to shut the f--- up? Maybe go outside for once?," by posting a screenshot of his LinkedIn account. She claimed she used her skills as a researcher to discover his profile^[4] (shown below, top). After congratulating herself for her detective work, Davis pointed out his name is literally in his Twitter handle (shown below, bottom).

In another section of the ongoing drama, three days after her original tweet, LaBouvier wrote, "I don't ride the storm, I AM the storm. I regret nothing, and meant every word of it." She also said she was cataloging the responses for something "in a larger publication" (shown below).^[10]

Online Reactions

The exchange also led both Streussnig and LaBouvier's tweets to see use in memes as the controversy garnered virality. For example, on July 8th, 2024, Twitter user @sum1saiditinnit^[8] posted Streussnig's text with a poster for the Chris Rock film I Think I Love My Wife, gaining over 680 retweets and 1,400 likes in one day (shown below).

The same day, Twitter user @JamesUrbaniak^[9] posted a parody of LaBouvier's tweet, using the Michael Mann film Manhunter, gaining over 300 retweets and 6,700 likes in the same timeframe (seen below).

Also on July 8th, 2024, Twitter user @JayElHarris^[11] posted a Jesse, What The Fuck Are You Talking About meme edit about the drama, gaining over 500 retweets and 7,200 likes in one day (shown below).

The seemingly endless drama led to renewed interest in the film Miami Vice. For example, Kotaku^[5] published a review from a first-time watcher on July 8th. New York City's IFC Center^[6] also announced screenings of the film, as did Los Angeles' Lumiere Cinema.^[7]

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References