An innocuous comment made by Jimmy Fallon during Hunter Schafer’s recent appearance on The Tonight Show has ignited a flurry of social media discussions. While promoting her new movie, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” Hunter was a guest on the show.
During the interview, Fallon brought up Hunter’s longtime fandom for “The Hunger Games” franchise, showcasing a photo of her as a child dressed in a Capitol-inspired Halloween costume. Fallon enthusiastically responded, saying, “Oh bud, it’s unbelievable! This is really cool, now you’re in Hunger Games — as a Capitol person!” He continued the exchange by complimenting her promotional photo for the movie and saying, “Look at you! Congratulations, bud!”
While Hunter showed no signs of discomfort with Fallon’s language, some viewers took issue with him referring to her as “bud” and expressed their concerns on social media. Given that Hunter is transgender, there were arguments that the term carries masculine connotations.
A now-deleted tweet captured by BuzzFeed shared a TikTok video of the moment and expressed offense, leading to a substantial social media reaction. One tweet stated, “jimmy fallon calling hunter schafer ‘bud’ I am going to [redacted],” amassing 1.5 million views within 24 hours and numerous likes and retweets.
Critics argued that the term “bud” has unquestionably male-coded connotations, and Fallon’s use of it with Hunter was inappropriate. Some comments emphasized the perception that it reveals Fallon’s view of trans women, even if Hunter herself was unbothered by it. Others claimed that such terms are degrading and reinforce the idea that trans women are not seen as women.
However, supporters of Fallon pointed out instances where he has used “bud” with cisgender women, including Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Some argued that Fallon uses gender-neutral or male-coded terms of endearment with a variety of guests, regardless of gender identity.
In the midst of the discourse, some viewers acknowledged that if Hunter had expressed discomfort or felt misgendered, they would stand behind her concerns. However, several defended Fallon, highlighting his consistent use of such language across various guests, regardless of their gender identity.
