Do you guys ever feel like Doja Cat hates her fans? It’s well known that she hates being called out on her inappropriate behavior – I’m still uncomfortable about everything that went down with Noah Schnapp – but mostly, Doja Cat just isn’t into fan-service whatsoever. I would even argue that she goes out of her way to treat her fans like sh-t. I understand not wanting to engage too much with people – you never know what kind of lunatic is lurking, especially in a pop star’s fandom – but Doja takes it to an entirely new level. She’s actively antagonizing the fans who adore her and provide her with free social-media buzz and buy tickets to her concerts. Well, over the weekend, Doja Cat basically told all of her fans to GTFO. It all started because she hates the group-name her fans gave themselves, the Kittenz.
Despite covering her tracks and digital claw marks, Doja Cat left traces of an online scuffle with her fans over the weekend. In a series of now-deleted messages on Threads, the “Kiss Me More” performer took jabs at her fan base, specifically several fan accounts that go by “Kittenz.” Think Beyoncé’s Beyhive, Taylor Swift’s Swifties, Nicki Minaj’s Barbz or BTS’ ARMY. The only difference is, Doja Cat rejects her fan base moniker altogether.
“My fans don’t name themselves s—,” she wrote on her Threads’ account in a rebuke of the Kittenz nickname, according to multiple outlets that took screenshots of the tweets. She then called for the end of her fan accounts. Since then, many of her most popular fan pages on Twitter have deactivated their accounts or have bid farewell.
Sometime in 2020, Doja Cat began to notice several names floating around online for her fan base: “cubs” and “kittenz.” To whittle it down to a single identity, she asked which name her fans preferred, reluctantly tweeting out a poll, and explained: “Because I don’t feel morally right pet-naming you guys.” The results, according to screenshots of the since-deleted tweet: 74% for “Kittens (Litter)” and 26% for “Cubs (Pride).” Since then, however, Doja Cat has sparingly used the name. The only known evidence of her using the term “Kittenz” was a promotional tweet for her 2019 single with Minaj, “Say So.” And over the weekend, seemingly unprovoked, Doja Cat disowned the name completely.
“My fans don’t name themselves s—,” she wrote on Threads. “If you call yourself a ‘kitten’ or f— ‘kittenz’ that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house.”
“What should I change my name to since you don’t like the term kitten,” asked fan account @thekittenzweb.
“Just delete the entire account and rethink everything, it’s never too late,” Doja Cat responded. And other fan accounts seemed to take notice and follow those orders as major fan pages, including Doja HQ the Kittens Room and Doja Cat News, deactivated their Twitter accounts. Another popular account, Doja Cat Stats, which has more than 60,000 followers, is still active but posted a parting message: “well it was a great time i guess, time to say goodbye.”
Doja Cat went on to defend her decree by posting, “My life my rules my style my attitude.” She shot down one fan account’s request to say that she loved her fans, writing: “I don’t though cuz I don’t even know ya’ll.” She went on to claw back at another fan who reminded her that she’d “be nothing” without their support. And she called an account that uses her full name, Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, as her screen name, “creepy as f—.” The 27-year-old singer-rapper has since deactivated her Threads account.
Since I only lurk (briefly) in online fandoms, I wasn’t even aware that Doja Cat had this level of online support. Well, not anymore. I mean, imagine Beyonce telling her Beyhive to f–k off? Imagine Lady Gaga telling her Little Monsters to get a life? Imagine Taylor Swift telling her Snake Fam to grow up and spend their money on more worthwhile endeavors? Again, I understand why a pop star wants to keep some kind of distance from their fandom – you never see Beyonce engage with the Beyhive in any kind of way and that’s for good reason. But going out of your way to alienate your core fandom? It’s pretty rough.
Doja Cat’s top fan pages are deactivating their accounts after she criticized supporters for calling themselves 'Kittenz'. pic.twitter.com/Zy54M3y2ZS
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 23, 2023
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
CULVER CITY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 12: American rapper Doja Cat (Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini) arrives at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party 2022 held at 3Labs on February 12, 2022 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 662027685, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Doja Cat, Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon 
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA – SEPTEMBER 10: American rapper Doja Cat (Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini) wearing an outfit by Viktor and Rolf arrives at The Daily Front Row’s 9th Annual Fashion Media Awards held at The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center on September 10, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.,Image: 721694920, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Doja Cat, Credit line: Christian Lora / Image Press Agency / Avalon 
Doja Cat attends 2023 TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 26, 2023 in New York City,Image: 772224719, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Doja Cat, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / AvalonncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWpnaoN6e8OooZqXk5bBoK3NrZigp56ex6awvqGcq5ebnsG1sc2YnZqmlKS6oMDOpZuYrJiauqDAzpibnqSVqbKgwMeeoKuXkZiwsMHNrapo