Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, has found himself in hot water after using the term "bud" during an interview with actress Hunter Schafer.
The incident occurred when Hunter was a guest on the show to promote her new movie, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
During the interview, Jimmy brought up the fact that Hunter has been a fan of The Hunger Games franchise since her childhood. He showed a photo of her in a Capitol-inspired Halloween costume as a child, and Hunter explained how she had made her own costume because she was obsessed with the Capitol people's costumes.
In response, Jimmy enthusiastically said, "Oh bud, it’s unbelievable! This is really cool, now you’re in Hunger Games — as a Capitol person!" He continued to express his excitement by holding up a promotional photo of Hunter in character for the movie, saying, "Look at you! Congratulations, bud!"
Jimmy Fallon calls Hunter Schafer "bud":
While Hunter did not appear bothered by Jimmy's use of the term "bud," some viewers took issue with it and expressed their concerns on social media. The controversy arose because Hunter is transgender, and some argued that the term "bud" has masculine connotations.
One viewer shared a TikTok video of the moment on Twitter and wrote, "Jimmy Fallon calling Hunter Schafer ‘bud.’" The tweet gained significant attention, with many users agreeing that it was inappropriate for Jimmy to use that term.
One Twitter user stated, "As if I didn’t have reason enough to hate Fallon, he takes this opportunity to show that he doesn’t see Hunter as the beautiful, immaculate queen sitting before him." They emphasized that terms like "bud" are typically male-coded and may be considered disrespectful when used for women.
Another user expressed a similar sentiment, saying, "I literally can't stand it when people call me bud. It’s so degrading and it really shows that they don’t see me (or Hunter or any trans woman) as a woman!"
A third argued: "you can't tell me with a straight face that Jimmy Fallon wouldn't have used girl instead of bud if it had been a cis actress instead of Hunter Schafer."
However, some users came to Jimmy's defense, pointing out that he often uses terms like "bud" or "buddy" with guests, including cisgender women. They argued that Jimmy's use of such terms is not gender-specific and is a part of his friendly and casual interviewing style.
In a TikTok taken prior to Taylor Swift’s appearance on The Tonight Show, Jimmy is seen knocking on her dressing room door and saying: “Hey bud! So excited, 10 minutes to show time!”
Hunter herself has not commented on the matter, and it appears that the actress and Jimmy have not acknowledged the controversy.
