Online commenters recently criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for a social media post in which the governor’s press office insinuated that the production team of MAGA influencer Benny Johnson is gay. While the commenters condemned Newsom’s use of homophobia, another right-winger has previously accused Johnson of being a closeted homosexual.

Newsom’s press office made the homophobic comment on a social media post that included a screenshot of a post published on Johnson’s X account. Johnson’s post showed Johnson smiling while speaking to Fox News host Jesse Watters about alleged corruption in California during a March 24 Fox News broadcast.

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In the broadcast, Watters alleged that California has a widespread issue of fraudulent daycares and hospice homes that register as official businesses with the state to begin receiving government subsidies.

Johnson told Watters that the grey-haired Newsom was “turning into Cruella de Vil before our very eyes” — a reference to the puppy-slaying villainess of the Disney cartoon 101 Dalmatians, who also has grey hair — under the stress of right-wing investigators uncovering fraud in his state.

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“I got a call from the White House after this hit on Jesse Waters’ Fox News show last night,” Johnson wrote. “There is a reason Gavin Newsom looks so terrified right now. He should be. Buckle up.”

Posting a screenshot of Johnson’s post, Watters wrote, “We got a call from Grindr after this and said your team was their biggest users. Congrats!” Grindr is a social and hookup app primarily used by queer men.

One Bluesky commenter, @illinoisguy, commented, “I don’t know why a lot of dems over the past 48 hours are leaning into 90s anti-gay s**t,” a likely reference to  Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democratic candidate for South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat, who recently released a video ad that uses sexual innuendo to repeatedly insinuate that her political opponent, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), is gay.

Another Bluesky commenter replied that the political environment ushered in by the current president encourages the use of such macho and homophobic insults by government officials. Another commenter wrote, “Solid plan to win dem voters…uh *checks notes* alienate dem voters by being homophobic?” Numerous commenters encouraged Newsom to delete the post.

Newsom did sign a group of pro-LGBTQ+ bills last year, including one to expand access to sports groups to all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. However, he has also voiced support for banning trans girls and women from sports; one activist has warned that Newsom’s political rise is an ominous sign for trans people.

Last December, ex-gay provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos said that Johnson “gets trashed and has sex with young boys” in the hotel rooms at conferences of Turning Point USA, a organization for young conservatives, “leaving Johnson’s wife weeping in the arms of other men downstairs.”

“One of the most distinctive things about the right wing in this country is its homosexual overtones,” Yiannopoulos said while speaking to MAGA podcaster Tim Pool. “Benny Johnson posts pictures of his children every two days—it’s weird. And everybody knows what went on with Benny Johnson in those lobbies and those hotel rooms at SAS [Student Action Summit, at Turning Point USA]. Everybody knows.”

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