Celebrity MasterChef star Cheryl Hole couldn’t care less about backlash from homophobic trolls
Drag Race star Cheryl Hole has said that appearing on programmes such as Celebrity MasterChef shows the public has nothing to fear from LGBTQ+ people.
The drag artist, who found fame on the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, is set to appear on the competitive cooking reality show’s penultimate week of heats on Wednesday evening (16 August).
Speaking to the BBC about her appearance, Cheryl said that LGBTQ+ representation is important on mainstream television given that the “the community [is] under attack”.
Citing the recent homophobic knife attack outside the Two Brewers in south London, which left two men injured, the drag star said we are in “a day and age where I feel like the movement is going a bit backwards” and “there [are] more hate crimes”.
“We’ve just had an attack on LGBTQ+ community in Clapham the other day,” the queen said. “I don’t understand what’s happening in the world and to have representation for our community, to have voices and stories heard, shows we are nothing to be feared.”
Taking part in MasterChef is a chance for people to “have a laugh and just forget”, she added.
“We’re light, laughter and entertainment. We’re just here for a good time and to make sure everyone is looked after.”
Cheryl Hole has dished out some good advice. (Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)
The incident in Clapham is no real surprise, given rising hate crime rates across the UK and increasing scrutiny of drag acts by right-wingers who have protested against events, pushed abhorrent “grooming” conspiracy theories and sought to ban performances.
Cheryl herself is facing a fierce backlash from trolls on social media for her appearance on MasterChef, with anti-drag pundits claiming her act is “misogynistic” and a “gross representation” of womanhood.
Sitting here chuckling at all these replies of people getting angry for me cooking a bit of food
https://t.co/BYPbKiY7cG
— Cheryl Hole (@CherylHoleQueen) August 16, 2023