Transgender madness rained upon “The Tonight Show” after host Jimmy Fallon’s informal vernacular struck a sour chord with the pronoun police.
“as if I didn’t have reason enough to hate Fallon…”
Enough is never enough and the late night host may be learning that after rolling out the red carpet for nothing short of a fawning interview over actor Hunter Schafer, a man who considers himself a woman.
In a recent episode of the NBC program, Fallon welcomed the actor on to talk about his role in the new film “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” during which an anecdote about his love for the series growing up was shared.
“For Halloween, I was obsessed with how the Capitol people were in costume and made my own costume,” he explained as Fallon presented an image to the audience before the host enthused, “Oh, bud, it’s unbelievable. This is really cool, now you’re in Hunger Games — as a Capitol person!”
After holding up a promotional image for the film, Fallon said, “Congratulations, bud!”
The apparently unforgivable sin was met by backlash online as users, including one who went on to delete their post after it went viral, heaped hate on the Saturday Night Live alum for his gendered language.
“jimmy fallon calling hunter schafer ‘bud’ i am going to [redacted],” wrote one as another with a “trans” flag in their name railed, “as if I didn’t have reason enough to hate Fallon, he takes this opportunity to show that he doesn’t see Hunter as the beautiful, immaculate queen sitting before him…to my cis readers, i hope you don’t see this as an overreaction–bud/buddy is unquestionably male-coded.”
jimmy fallon calling hunter schafer “bud” i am going to [redacted]
— Official Lsies (@lsiesOfficial) November 20, 2023
as if i didn’t have reason enough to hate Fallon, he takes this opportunity to show that he doesn’t see Hunter as the beautiful, immaculate queen sitting before him
to my cis readers, i hope you don’t see this as an overreaction—bud/buddy is unquestionably male-coded https://t.co/gzrf9cIHCk
— TheAverageGirlLovesFall ️⚧️ (@thearae60) November 20, 2023
Another who demonstrated little regard for basic writing skills griped, “i literally cant stand it when people call me bud. it’s so degrading and it really shows that they dont see me(or hunter or any trans woman rly) as a woman!! bud isnt something you say to girls im sorry.”
“i remember telling people i hated being called bud/buddy and they always doubled down on it afterward i f*cking hate it. if youre a man and use any casual ‘man’ or ‘dude’ or whatever the f*ck i need you to not speak to me anymore i literally cant anymore,” the user added.
i remember telling people i hated being called bud/buddy and they always doubled down on it afterwards i fucking hate it. if youre a man and use any casual “man” or “dude” or whatever the fuck i need you to not speak to me anymore i literally cant anymore
— local girl (@annelisemako) November 19, 2023
Still others raged in opposition to the idea that the word was “gender neutral.”
“bud is gender neutral”
a slight minority of people might say it in a gender neutral way. but you obviously know it’s used exclusively for men most the time.
even if Hunter isn’t bothered, it’s still gross and telling of how Fallon views trans women. https://t.co/qRvY1CpQfu
— dollarhyfttnf (@dollarnuftynuf) November 19, 2023
“bud” is NOT gender neutral. I have never heard anybody refer to a grown ass woman as “bud” before. I hate Jimmy Fallon so much https://t.co/9FU1TgAzGd
— harley from Paramore (@fueledbyharley) November 19, 2023
As it happened, the late night host was readily (and easily) defended across social media not only for his incessant use of the familiar term, but for the reality that the gnashing of teeth was very much a “you problem” for the offended.
While many pointed out that Fallon called nearly everyone “bud,” including Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lawrence and Ariana Grande, others mocked the offended, in some cases by giving them something to be offended about.
Ok bud
— Kevin Costner (formerly Saul Goodman) (@SaulGoo40286072) November 21, 2023
Sorry to hear that, bud
— PoopsMcgee (@PapaGrantits) November 22, 2023
What should he call her, toots?
— Josh W. Griswold (@RadioMcLean) November 24, 2023
At most the people who have an issue with this are projecting their own insecurities onto the situation and it shows. “Bud” is not transphobic. Most people use it as a genderless term. I call my daughter bud all the time. It comes down to the person who is using the term.
— re: Jeebz (@LilJeebz) November 22, 2023
Once a bud always a bud. He is a man in God’s eyes. Can’t escape the truth, bud.
— Explosive Matters (@XplosiveMatters) November 26, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- Leftists and Islamists have teamed up to ‘fight America everywhere and all the time’: Schweizer - January 19, 2026
- Florida man named Ahmad Jihad Bojeh randomly killed 3 tourists near Disney World, sheriff says - January 19, 2026
- ICE agent tells obstructionists they’re protecting a child sex offender from arrest - January 19, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.