It’s safe to say that American Idol alum Katharine McPhee would not have a career today if it weren’t for her loyal LGBTQ fanbase. Now, it looks as though that career may be in jeopardy. And it’s all because of… $500.
McPhee’s Twitter page is filled with shout outs and references to her gay fans and gay culture, as well re-tweets by other people in support of LGBTQ people.
“My son isn’t gay! He loves women!”
The women: pic.twitter.com/RXSwBCqKYj
— Kat McPhee (@katharinemcphee) September 13, 2020
I had David watch Drag Race for the first time last night and we couldn’t stop obsessing over @BlairStClair (rooting for you and sending good luck your way!) ? #AllStars5
— Kat McPhee (@katharinemcphee) June 25, 2020
Trans women and men are beautiful. Don’t let anybody tell you your existence isn’t valid. Happy Pride month to you and anybody else who identifies as LGBTQ. I love you all! ???
— Kat McPhee (@katharinemcphee) June 11, 2020
Excited to announce I'll be a part of this year's @aidswalkny LIVE! at home with this incredible line up to benefit @GMHC and their COVID-19 efforts, streaming on July 19th. ?? pic.twitter.com/ORpMmN60yG
— Kat McPhee (@katharinemcphee) June 20, 2020
She also likes to refer to her LGBTQ fans by the pet name “my gay boys.”
In 2018, McPhee recorded a video specifically for “my gay boys” before her Broadway debut in Waitress, promising to give them “everything you ever dreamed of.”
The rumors are true – yes, I am going to give the gays everything they want. #KatOnBroadway pic.twitter.com/j9zWSTlNvB
— Kat McPhee (@katharinemcphee) April 10, 2018
Also in 2018, McPhee published a “love letter” to her LGBTQ fans in Billboard, in which she wrote: “I’d like to express my unwavering support to the LGBTQ community and appreciation for how much love you’ve shown me throughout the years.”
She added, “I have always felt you right by my side, you’ve kept me going and stood by me every second, and for that I am grateful.”
Which is why it is so incredibly strange that she appears to have made two separate $250 donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, a group that is working to maintain the GOP’s majority in the Senate so that they can continue doing stuff like, say, chip away at LGBTQ rights.
Jezebel broke the story over the weekend. According to Federal Election Commission records, a self-employed singer by the name of Katharine McPhee who lives in Los Angeles donated a total of $500 to the NRSC earlier this year.
When asked for comment, McPhee’s publicist didn’t respond, and the singer hasn’t mentioned anything about the donations on social media.
Perhaps she’s hoping that if she doesn’t say anything the story will disappear?
Unfortunately for her, when you’re entire fan base is made up of gay people, it’s kinda hard to avoid talking about why you (or someone with your exact name and career and who lives in the same city as you) gave money to a political party that’s actively working against LGBTQ equality.
Gay Twitter is not pleased with McPhee’s alleged donations or her radio silence on the matter…
Katharine Mcphee is a republican. Bye, my gay boys!
— Joshua Conkel (@JoshuaConkel) September 21, 2020
The funniest part about Katharine McPhee being a republican is that her whole fan base is gay, so she will get dragged so hard her hair follicles will dissipate. pic.twitter.com/q9ro39lONX
— Eduardo C Fonseca (@eduardocafo) September 20, 2020
okay, now that we know Katharine McPhee is a republican, which one of you New York/LA media gays is gonna expose who does her social media?
— Alex Naser-Hall (@anaserhall) September 20, 2020
KATHARINE MCPHEE IS A RAGING REPUBLICAN THIS IS THE WORST NEWS OF MY LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— abir ?? (@mikechvng) September 20, 2020
Y’all are so surprised to learn that Katharine McPhee is a Republican as if you didn’t already know she’s a Karen. pic.twitter.com/XT8cSn5UOm
— Dave Quinn (@NineDaves) September 20, 2020
I edited Katharine McPhee’s wikipedia page to note that she’s a horrid republican but within minutes someone re-edited it to be even MORE scathing and I love that!
— Insufferable Reality TV Stan (@TYRAnt_BANKS) September 20, 2020
katharine mcphee’s hired social media gay upon learning she’s a registered republican pic.twitter.com/UiTFFoGiQK
— Eric Eidelstein (@ericeidelstein) September 20, 2020
since katharine mcphee was outed as a republican i dont feel bad for saying this: was smash supposed to feel like a competition??? like meghan hilty was SOOOOO clearly the better marilyn, were we supposed to think katharine stood a chance?
— B L M (@reach4themars) September 20, 2020
Idk what’s worse, people upset that Katharine McPhee is a republican, or the fact that people even know who she is in 2020…
— Lauv is my bf (@me0wstic_) September 20, 2020
so katharine mcphee has donated to the republican party as pf this june. pic.twitter.com/AQAgyp1tFh
— Katharine McPhee Smeer campaign chairman (@remgrandeswtblm) September 20, 2020
Katharine McPhee being so broke that she’s donating hundreds to the Republican Party ? pleaseee
— Romeo Santos (@PallahAbdul) September 20, 2020
Chick-fil-A Introduces Katharine McPhee Meal; Includes Substantial Donation to Republican Senators, No Food
(https://t.co/d4bEW1gDnU) #TheBroadwayBeat pic.twitter.com/oWqeYFoxlq
— The Broadway Beat (@BwayBeatNews) September 21, 2020
i leave twitter for a day to walk up some hills and katharine mcphee gets outed as a republican? i’m so tired of this
— kt (@westendkatie) September 19, 2020
katharine mcphee being a republican is literally the last thing i thought i’d have to deal with in 2020.
— jeremy (@jimmyontherox) September 20, 2020
The whole thing is disappointing, to say the least.
Then again, is it really that surprising a woman who uses cringeworthy pet names like “my gay boys” to talk about gay men doesn’t really view them as equals?
Cam
“”She also likes to refer to her LGBTQ fans by the pet name “my gay boys.””
The same condescending tone that some Real Housewife reject would use to describe her purse, her poodle, and her gay friends.
McPhee can pretend she’s an ally all she wants, but when she didn’t think anybody was looking, she donates to the group trying to harm LGBTQ people. She showed her colors.
ShiningSex
McPhee only has money because of who she is married to. No one gave a crap about her music career. Her music sucked.
She’s just another woman sleeping with an idiot to make it in the business. Shameful that women (and MEN TOO) do that. Julie Chen is another one of those kind. Yuck!
jayceecook
I’m laughing at all her “gay boys” who are outraged. Gurls, it’s been known for a loooong time she supports the GOP. Do you think she’s the only woman from American Idol who has supported them? Or who had said some anti-gay remarks? Kelly Clarkson. Check. Fantasia Barrino. Check. Carrie Underwood. Check. Mandisa Hundley. Check.
Those are just some of the women off the top of my head and not including any of the guys. American Idol is/was a hotbed for these types of folks.
8millionandcounting
File under. Who Cares. It’s her money anyway. She is hardly influential other than she married a 4 time married, nut bag, who happens to be a genius.
jorgecruz
Megan Hilty stole her show and showed what a real talent sounds like. I am sure she will be back kissing our asses when she catches her husband cheating with his next wife.
DCRacer28
there’s nothing wrong with being Republican – well …[hmm] but to support this current administration is, well, dumb
Cam
Except the entire party now has fallen in line behind Trump, AND the Republican platform for ages has called for attacks on LGBTQ rights. So, yeah, there is something wrong with supporting them if you claim to be a friend of the community.
IAMSONICE
I’m sorry, Katherine who? She sings or something? Oh well. Bye Katherine!
controversial2019
It is possible to support a party but not agree with every policy or ideology they spout.
My partner usually supports Labour (left wing party in the UK) but doesn’t agree with everything they say or stand for.
We both voted Green in the last general election (super left wing) but we didn’t agree with everything they said or stood for.
Both of us have agreed with some policies proposed by the Tories (right wing) but wouldn’t call ourselves right wing.
Maybe it’s different here in the UK because I don’t think our Tories are quite as right-wing as the Republicans over there, but i think it’s naive to say that to be a supporter of a party one must agree with EVERYTHING they say/believe and NONE of what the opposing parties say/believe. There will always be aspects of other parties’ policies you like the sound of, and aspects of the party you most closely mirror in ideology that you don’t like the sound of.
I don’t know how “deep” into Republicanism McPhee is but she might, for example, agree with everything the party says/does EXCEPT for stuff to do with LGBTQ rights – and if someone agrees with 9 out of 10 policies a party has, no matter how much they vehemently disagree with that 1 policy, it still makes most sense for them to support the party due to the other 9 policies they agree with.
Cam
Except the Republican party’s platform states specifically that they will work against LGBTQ rights.
So this isn’t a matter of disagreeing on zoning regulations or whether or not to allow fish imported from South East Asia to legally be called “Catfish” or not. This is somebody donating to a group of people that have, as one of their main goals, to do us harm.
Then again, you have come into multiple posts to defend Republicans. Funny, I never see you doing the same for Democrats.
phillycap
Their thinking and the thinking of every McPhee in the world who do this. It’s not personal. It’s business. I have more money than you. I want to pay less in tax and so I’m going to vote for Republicans. End of story. It’s pure greed and selfishness. Which is hardly a shocker from these types.
bachy
Over the years I slowly realized that several of my closest, white, female friends were Republicans. I was like, WTF?? Argumentative and confrontational. The way they were thinking about politics seemed layered with so much ‘fear of the oppressor’, selfishness, resentment, self-delusion. These kinds of investigations into our friends’ political beliefs can really drive home how powerful and divisive ideologies can be. It’s deeply disturbing.
James
REALLY DISAPPOINTING. SHE HURT HERSELF IF SHE THINKS TRUMP’S NEW SUPREME COURT PICK IS PRO WOMEN, MUCH LESS PRO GAY.
WELL I AM TOTALY OVER HER NOW. SHE’S A TRAITOR.
APPARENTLY GAYS WERE JUST BEING USED.
cuteguy
Thankfully I was never a fan of this hag. She was a loser on American Idol and in life. Her only “accomplishment” – if you can call it that – is marrying an old man like the true gold digger she is. No different than Erika Jayne. She doesn’t support gay ppl, she only used them for a “career”.
justgeo
Who The F)(k is this creature?
controversial2019
@Cam
I wouldn’t say I defend Republicans. I can freely accept and opinionate that I believe that the Republican Party is anti-LGBTQ (people and rights), anti-Freedom, anti-Everyman (and solely for the Rich man). I have no issue saying that. And those ideologies are not defendable or justifiable; they’re terrible, harmful ideologies.
I would say I play Devil’s advocate and will propose other ways of viewing things or allowing some people “benefit of the doubt” when the articles we are presented with only show a slither of the situation rather than an in-depth nuanced article which provides full context.
I would equally play devil’s advocate for Democrats IF I saw articles on here criticising a democratic celebrity or accusing a democratic celebrity of something. But such articles are few and far between on here. Whether that’s because Queerty is Democrat and therefore biased in its reporting OR whether it’s because Democrats aren’t caught in anywhere near as many scandals/reprehensible situations as republicans; I don’t know (it could be either, both, none). But I would (and probably have).
Cam
@controversial2019
Except painting a political party that has, as one of it’s planks, attacks on us and seeking to do us harm, as merely having a “Difference of opinion” is the worst kind of covering for them.
A difference of opinion is when I think bike lanes are good and somebody else thinks they are bad. A difference of opinion isn’t when one person says I don’t have the right to live, or adopt, or get married, or own property, and my response is I just want to live my life.
That is an attack.
ScottOnEarth
I had no idea that gay men love her. She’s so boring and unremarkable….but her apparent hypocrisy is really grotesque.
amanwithanedge
I’ve never liked her and david foster is also a repugnant.
DeeMatt
I remember when a friend of mine had stopped to visit me when Mom was at my house. They always enjoyed each others company and she called Mom her name ‘Fern’ not Mrs—–. It was not weird though since Mom had told her to call her that. Go forward a few years, same type visit though my Mom was getting up there in years. My friend called her ‘Girlie’ when she spoke to her, said that to her a few times in that visit. I knew my Mom was brought in a different era (born in 1923) and so NOT wanting to make a scene in my home she let it go but I knew, I could tell, she was done with this friend of mine. DONE. It was disrespectful. She was treating my Mom as someone not deserving of showing respect because she had gotten what? Older and more frail? Dunno, but I got a bead on my friend that day that she was a bit of an arrogant a-hole. I was always polite to her at work after but I was done with her socially. Anyone not seeing an entertainer referring to her fan base as ‘my gay boys’ as an indication she thinks they are less than deserving of a respectful reference is blind.
MikeColling83
To actively support this current Republican party under trump is completely inexcusable. She is done.
LynchMob66
McPhee you are McPhired!