The Apprentice star and self-proclaimed ‘gay icon’ Amy Anzel apologises for homophobic slur
The Apprentice candidate, Amy Anzel has become an unlikely gay icon. (PA)
Star of British The Apprentice Amy Anzel has apologised after tweeting a homophobic slur while partying in Manchester.
The self-appointed “queen of gay Twitter” allegedly became an overnight LGBT+ icon for being, to quote herself, a “b***h” and a “tough boss”.
She’s since tweeted countless Drag Race UK memes while fans are calling on her to be the franchise’s next celebrity judge.
But the entrepreneur drew backlash in the early hours of Saturday (30 January) when using a homophobic slur in a tweet.
The CEO and founder of beauty tool-maker Hollywood Bronzer Beauty tweeted according to screenshots: “OMG getting mobbed by homo’s [sic].”
Anzel made the tweet after mentioning to her nearly 5,000 followers that she was “heading to Canal Street in Manchester“, the centre of the city’s gay village, asking for the best spots to go out.
Fans giving her a tour of Canal Street even shared pictures of them with Anzel, who earlier that day had swung by the Manchester Pride offices, tweeting: “Honestly, the support from the LGBTQ+ community has been incredible.”
For some LGBT+ followers, this was the last straw. Users were unimpressed, to say the last, with her use of a homophobic slur.
While others scrutinised how Anzel lists herself as an “LGBTQ+ Ally” in her Twitter bio, something they felt was “performative”.
“I’m sure you’re lovely but this comes across really patronising,” one user fumed.
“I have to ask what beyond a meme what have you done for the LGBTQ+ community? Please use this as an opportunity; allyship can be wonderful, and while perhaps not your intention this is all coming across performative.”
“I know you don’t intend any malice but please stop using / treating us like a ‘token’ community,” another added. “It’s not your place nor your privilege to use slurs like that. I know your intentions come from a good place but please do better.”
A third user urged Anzel to stop treating the queer community as an “accessory“.
Amy Anzel: ‘I was repeating what my friends were saying’
On Sunday afternoon, Amy Anzel apologised for the tweet. She sought to stress that she meant “no malice” and that it was “meant with love”.
“I just want to apologise to the people I’ve upset with a tweet I posted last night,” the 48-year-old wrote.
“As soon as it was pointed out, I took it down. It was taken from a conversation – and I was repeating what my friends were saying.
I just want to apologise to the people I’ve upset with a tweet I posted last night. As soon as it was pointed out, I took it down. It was taken from a conversation – and I was repeating what my friends were saying. I really meant no malice by it at all, it was meant with love ❤️
— Amy Anzel (@amyanzel) January 30, 2022
“I really meant no malice by it at all, it was meant with love.”
But her apology was met with a laundry bag of responses from users. “You are still queen and can address your subjects accordingly,” a dutiful fan replied.
But for other users, it was not enough.
“Think it’s more that as you’ve established a platform it would be amazing to be a constructive ally,” a user raised, “and raise awareness for LGBT+ issues as well as having fun hun!”
“Like, enjoy yourself but please remember to push your allyship positively by engaging your platform constructively.
They added: “Especially as it’s LGBT+ History Month [in] February, so a gal with a platform like yours can defo have fun and have the support of the community.
“But it’s always worth reinforcing that allyship back by standing strong and raising awareness with the platform you have.”
The New York native and QVC UK presenter previously came under fire while producing the British tour of Happy Days in 2013.
While judging auditionees, she told one dancer to “strip the gay away” before asking about his sexual orientation on national television.
“Unfortunately this comment was taken completely out of context,” she told The Daily Mail after the story resurfaced last month.
“In reality, I was giving a dancer creative direction during an audition for a show that I was producing. To suggest that I’m even slightly homophobic is completely untrue.
“I’m a huge supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, always have been and always will be.”
