20 years later, do we still care that Kelly Rowland called Freddy a “f*ggot in a Christmas sweater”?
Freddy Vs. Jason pitted dream demon Freddy Krueger against the hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees. Their respective slasher series, Nightmare On Elm Street and Friday The 13th, were inescapable in the ’80s, though well past their prime at this point.
Still, nostalgia was enough to fuel fervor for this battle royale.But, two decades on, Freddy Vs. Jason isn’t so much remembered for its clash of characters or its inventive kills, as much as it is for its use of one specific word: F*ggot.That it was uttered by none other than Kelly Rowland—of Destiny’s Child fame—makes it stand out all the more.
Is it an embarrassing and offensive relic of a different time? Or, has sentiment around the word changed enough that we can now reclaim it as an iconic moment in queer cinema history?
And most importantly: Can Kelly say f*g? Wherever you stand, the divisive dialogue remains a subject of debate to this day.In the film, a fading Freddy is trapped in Hell, unable to haunt the dreams of children who have long stopped fearing him.
