Doja Cat Is Fighting Fires of Her Own Creation

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( album review [Doja Cat Is Fighting Fires of Her Own Creation]( On Scarlet, the rapper, singer, and internet terror channels negative comments into some of the best work of her career. Photo: Doja Cat via YouTube [Doja Cat]( is a lightning rod for disputes. In 2020, she was [accused]( of lurking in alt-right chat rooms; this year, she was criticized for vaping at the Met Gala. But the months leading up to the release of Scarlet, her fourth studio album, have felt like a dedicated campaign to convince people to quit following her entirely. In May, the 27-year-old rapper, singer, dancer, and internet terror sparked a mutiny when she taunted fans for enjoying her last two albums. “Planet Her and Hot Pink were cash grabs, and y’all fell for it. Now I can go disappear somewhere and touch grass with my loved ones on an island while y’all weep for mediocre pop.” In July, she [roasted]( admirers who refer to themselves as “kittenz”: “If you call yourself a ‘kitten’ or fucking ‘kittenz’ that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house.” Prompted to say she loves her fans, she replied, “I don’t though cuz I don’t even know y’all.” A week later, a wave of Doja stan accounts deactivated when she responded to allegations of manipulation and grooming surrounding her boyfriend, Twitch star J. Cyrus, by blocking and insulting those asking her to speak out: “I never have and never will give a fuck what you think about me or my personal life. Goodbye and good riddance, miserable hoes. Haha!” Neglecting to perform the dance of gratefulness at key junctures had always been a workable insouciance — it was Doja being Doja, an entertainer who came to us in a meme. But dismissing questions about Cyrus with a smirk was dark, the kind of PR disaster that keeps management up at night. [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. Subscribe now to [save over 60 percent]( on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • Sex Education: [I’m Not Laughing]( • Billions: [Leave It to Senior]( • The Wheel of Time: [Master and Servant]( • Love Is Blind: [A Walking Red Flag]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [The Screen Sweaters Forever Stitched Into Our Minds From the worlds of knit-flicks and purl-stige TV.]( By Vulture Editors [Stage Whisperer, Vulture’s Theater Newsletter, Extends Its Run Weekly theater news, delivered a little louder for the people in the back.]( By Jackson McHenry [‘I Was Good by Myself. I’m Better With the Guys.’ Raphael Saadiq wasn’t sure a Tony! Toni! Tone! reunion would ever happen. He’s thankful it finally did.]( By Brandon Caldwell [The 2023 Hollywood Strike for Dummies What does it mean that the WGA and the AMPTP released a joint statement?]( By Jason P. Frank [The 11 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend Psycho killers welcome.]( By James Grebey and Savannah Salazar [Ranking Jason Statham’s Most-Deranged Character Names Everything from The Pink Panther’s Yves Gluant to The Italian Job’s Handsome Rob.]( By Rebecca Pahle [Amazon’s Adding Ads to Prime Video, Too Unless you (shocker) pay more money.]( By Savannah Salazar [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 5-Down, Five Letters: Taylor Swift song allegedly about Harry. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Everett, Getty [Vulture Recommends]( We consume it all so you don’t have to. Photo: COURTESY OF NETFLIX Love Is Blind is back, and so is our [intrepid recapper](, Ali Barthwell! [Read more from Vulture]( A newsletter of TV and movie recommendations. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved