JoCat “I Like Girls” Harassment and Doxxing Controversy

Overview

JoCat “I Like Girls” Harassment and Doxxing Controversy refers to a viral debate regarding a 30-second animation video created by YouTuber JoCat in 2021, which was a gender-bent parody cover of Lizzo’s song “Boys” titled “I Like Girls.” Discourse about the animation surfaced in late 2023, in which many on Twitter / X identified the video as cringe. In turn, many made fun of JoCat and allegedly harassed him on social media as well as offline. The posts led JoCat to announce an “indefinite break” from content creation in December 2023, citing harassment and attempted doxxing caused by the viral discourse and memes.

Background

On October 6th, 2020, YouTuber JoCat was streaming Baldur’s Gate 3, during which (at the stream’s 45:17-minute mark) JoCat spontaneously sang a parody of Lizzo’s song “Boys” that was later titled “I Like Girls” (shown below).

On April 2nd, 2021, JoCat posted an animation to YouTube that animated his “Boys” cover titled “I Like Girls.” Over two years, the video received roughly 11.1 million views and 567,000 likes (shown below).

I likeBig girlsPretty kitty girlsReally witty girlsSinging ditty girls

I like the leggy girlsWith the nice thighsI like a good chestNo matter what size

I like the belly foldsI like the six packsReally tall queensAnd the short stacks

From the mild girlsTo the wild girlsYou got style, girlsMake ’em riled, girls

Additionally, JoCat’s inspiration for the animation was a precursor animation posted by YouTuber Hakkim Animation on August 10th, 2019.

Memes using the video surfaced online as early as 2021, predominantly on iFunny and Twitter / X. For instance, on November 16th, 2021, iFunnier @Luijiihad made a meme with the video, gaining over 4,500 smiles in two years (shown below, left).

On November 22nd, 2021, iFunnier @GushinGranny1 posted the video with a top caption reading, “How the hell can this guy make liking women seem so f—ing gay,” gaining over 200 smiles in two years (shown below, right).

On February 21st, 2023, X user @mask_bastard reposted iFunnier @GushinGranny1’s video, gaining over 16,700 likes in one day. The tweet gained multiple quote tweets in which users levied criticism of the video, mostly labeling it as cringe.

Then, on February 22nd, 2023, JoCat tweeted a meme about the discourse which likened his opponents’ tweets to “Jocat Cringe for Clout,” gaining over 15,000 likes in 10 months (shown below).

In late April and early March 2023, other since-deleted tweets generated discourse and memes about the video. On May 22nd, 2023, X user @ssundeefantweet posted the video, captioned, “I was gonna use this video for bait but I just can’t man this is the worst video in the world,” gaining over 13,000 likes in seven months (shown below).

On December 13th, 2023, X user @ZeroSuitCamus tweeted the video, writing, “Just made this video. Let me know what you think!” gaining roughly 5.8 million views and 6,900 likes in one day (shown below). The tweet inspired another slew of posts mostly levied against JoCat, additionally inspiring a community note that corrected @ZeroSuitCamus’ satirical claim.

JoCat’s “Indefinite Break” Announcement

On December 18th, 2023, JoCat posted a tweet that stated, “If this is what it takes to be a content creator online, I don’t think I’m cut out for it,” and announced his “indefinite break from making content,” receiving over 6.7 million views and 25,000 likes in less than a day (shown below).

The tweet also linked to a webpage called jocat.net which included a long-form statement that elaborated on the tweet. JoCat claimed that there had been “threats of violence to me as well as my family” and “doxxing attempts” due to the negative reactions from “I Like Girls.” JoCat also claimed that “suspicious packages” had been shipped to his family. Due to these factors and more, JoCat formerly announced his “indefinite break” from content creation.

Online Reaction

In the aftermath of the JoCat’s announcement, many users on X reacted. For instance, fellow streamer and YouTuber Shenpai started a thread on December 18th, 2023, which defended Jocat and labeled his opponents as “vitriolic, clout chasing, [and] ignorant,” gaining over 11,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, left).

Others, like X user @Will_the_Rose on December 18th, 2023, reacted more humorously, quoting with a Peter Griffin meme reading, “Me getting executed for being straight in 2050,” gaining over 1,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, right).

Others, like X user @xaviersonline_, cited @ZeroSuitCamus’ tweet as a catalyst for Jocat’s ultimate decision.

During the same timeframe, others expressed their belief that JoCat’s decision was rash and unjustified, such as X user @notbigracks on December 18th, 2023, who quoted JoCat, writing, “Dude made an annoying horny video and everyone was like ‘gross’ and he said ok goodbye internet LMFAOOO,” gaining over 790 likes in less than a day (shown below).

Rebuttals were levied against @notbigracks as well, like X user @PapaMeanie who replied, “People were calling him a sexual predator … for a week straight let’s not pretend this was a normal reaction to a silly video lol.”

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References