‘F***ing Queer’: Guess Which VMAs Performer Has A Nasty Homophobic Past?

James Arthur gave a subdued performance of “Say You Won’t Let Go” at Sunday’s VMAs, but fans may be surprised that the British breakout has a nasty history of homophobia.

Prior to breaking into the U.S. with his Billboard Top 20 single, Arthur ignited controversy in his native United Kingdom after attacking rapper Micky Worthless with a slew of anti-LGBTQ slurs. The 29-year-old singer, who won The X Factor in 2012, referred to Worthless as a “fucking queer” in a diss track posted to Twitter.

Arthur later instructed the little-known rapper to “shoot himself.”

Those comments later led to Arthur being dropped from SyCo, the record label managed by Simon Cowell. The American Idol judge made his name on the U.K. edition of The X Factor before becoming a household name in the United States.

Arthur would later backpedal on his remarks, telling the BBC Newsbeat in 2016 that they were “taken out of context.”

“I didn’t mean to offend anyone at all,” he offered in a faux-apology.

After claiming that his remarks were a result of depression, anxiety, and drug use, Arthur offered his support to Stonewall, a U.K.-based LGBTQ organization. The singer claimed that he would make a “long-term commitment” to queer and trans equality. (Stonewall was not available for before press time to comment on whether he has followed through on that pledge.)

Arthur has also been criticized in the press for using his public profile to sleep with fansincluding a 17-year-old girl. The young fan claimed in an article in The Sun that Arthur broke up with her after having sex

James Arthur gave a subdued performance of “Say You Won’t Let Go” at Sunday’s VMAs, but fans may be surprised that the British breakout has a nasty history of homophobia.

Prior to breaking into the U.S. with his Billboard Top 20 single, Arthur ignited controversy in his native United Kingdom after attacking rapper Micky Worthless with a slew of anti-LGBTQ slurs. The 29-year-old singer, who won The X Factor in 2012, referred to Worthless as a “fucking queer” in a diss track posted to Twitter.

Arthur later instructed the little-known rapper to “shoot himself.”

Those comments later led to Arthur being dropped from SyCo, the record label managed by Simon Cowell. The American Idol judge made his name on the U.K. edition of The X Factor before becoming a household name in the United States.
Arthur would later backpedal on his remarks, telling the BBC Newsbeat in 2016 that they were “taken out of context.”

“I didn’t mean to offend anyone at all,” he offered in a faux-apology.

After claiming that his remarks were a result of depression, anxiety, and drug use, Arthur offered his support to Stonewall, a U.K.-based LGBTQ organization. The singer claimed that he would make a “long-term commitment” to queer and trans equality. (Stonewall was not available for before press time to comment on whether he has followed through on that pledge.)

Arthur has also been criticized in the press for using his public profile to sleep with fansincluding a 17-year-old girl. The young fan claimed in an article inThe Sunthat Arthur broke up with her after having sex.