Doja Cat sparks debate on fan interactions as she claims she was 'manhandled'
Singer Doja Cat found herself in the middle of a viral debate as she shared a slew of posts about an uncomfortable experience she had with a fan in a video surfaced online
American rapper and singer Doja Cat has found herself in the firing line yet again after a "crazy" fan interaction caused a stir online. A video that captured the uncomfortable moment she had with a fan was shared on TikTok, and despite what looked like a friendly exchange, the star came out to share her truth behind the experience.
The fan in question was Pablo Tamayo, an influencer and jewellery designer with over 400k followers on TikTok. He has shared numerous interactions with other famous faces who have received his products, including the likes of Paris Hilton, Rihanna and Saweetie.
In the viral video with Doja Cat, Pablo is seen standing next to the singer outside of an event, and after the singer complimented his shirt, he took it off his back and gave it to her. The shirt had its own significance, as it was a design of his, made in collaboration with a clothing brand called Melimayystudios.
In the video, the influencer leans in to give the star a passionate hug, holding her by his side, before giving her a kiss on the cheek and pulling her in to jump up and down with him in a celebratory moment. At the time of its release, fans flooded the comments of the video, admiring the cute interaction and praising Doja.
That was until the 29-year-old rapper made a statement about the truth behind the video. In a post on the social media site X, which has now been deleted, she wrote: "Bottom line is I'll smile at you, but it doesn't mean I f--k with you, and don't touch me and manhandle me when you don't even f----n know me. iykyk.
"I honestly think I need to stand up for myself in the moment sometimes. And he didn't even know my f-----g name; to be touching me and kissing me on my face like that is crazy," she wrote.
In response, a confused user shared that they felt she looked as though she enjoyed the interaction and asked for further context. She replied simply, saying: "I was very drunk idk what to tell you."
It didn't stop there; she responded to a fan further explaining her feelings about the encounter, sharing: "I don't like how comfortable he was touching me and kissing me without asking permission." Fans were left feeling confused, while others respected that Doja's feelings were valid, and if she felt violated, that it's something she should make people aware of for any future fan meetings.
Hurt by the statement, Pablo took to TikTok to explain his side of the story captured in the video. He wrote: "I just want to clear this up because it hurts because I loved her. I watched her at Coachella. I never claimed to be the biggest fan, but I stan her, and I think her work is amazing."
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He continued to say: "I would've never wanted to make her uncomfortable. I would've never filmed if she didn't say yes. That video that we filmed was after everything," he continued. "I understand that she has to set her boundaries. She's a celebrity. I'm not. I will never understand that, so I value that... I appreciate it, and I get that.
"I apologise if I did anything wrong at all; I know I didn't know her first. I never claimed to be the biggest fan ever. I just respect her a lot for her work," he added. The Mirror has reached out to Pablo Tamayo and Doja Cat for comment.
This controversial fan interaction has sparked an interesting conversation online about fan culture and consent. With other celebrities such as Chapelle Roan speaking up about setting boundaries with their followers, it appears the complexities of these relationships are something many famous faces and fans alike are still getting to grips with.
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