November 28, 2022
Twitter Calls Out Kim Petras for Working with Dr. Luke in Light of Kesha Claims
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Critics on Twitter called out trans recording artist Kim Petras' continued association with producer Dr. Luke despite sexual assault claims made against him by Kesha – and Petras pushed back.
Things got heated Nov. 27 when Petras, in a now-deleted thread, said, "get talented or good at anything then talk to me," TMZ reported.
"One person responded, 'stop defending dr luke first then,'" TMZ recounted, prompting Petras to fire back: "5000000 ppl work with him why y'all only coming at me. I have nothing to say or be ashsamedof at all. go away."
The drama continued on the now-scrubbed thread, as Petras "continued to fend off bird app users who were furious with her ... slamming her for what they perceived as her defending her longtime producer Dr. Luke, who's been accused of sexually assaulting Kesha," TMZ added.
Back in February, Rolling Stone traced the #FreeKesha social media trend to Petras' "Slut Pop" EP, which dropped earlier this year.
"Shortly after 'Slut Pop' dropped," RS recounted, "fans on stan Twitter questioned why the producer, previously accused of sexual abuse by Kesha, is credited with co-writing the record and producing it in its entirety."
RS noted that Jordan Page, a journalist, questioned the collab, posting, "something v off with kim petras' new EP being titled 'slut pop' (featuring songs like 'treat me like a slut' and 'throat goat') and it being entirely produced by dr luke... a man surrounded with notorious accusations of sexual harassment and assault?"
RS recalled that in her 2014 lawsuit, "Kesha claimed Luke had 'sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused [her] to the point where [she] nearly lost her life,' along with numerous other accusations, including gender-based discrimination," noting also that "Dr. Luke denied the claims and filed a counter lawsuit against the singer, accusing her of defamation."
"Kesha dropped her suit in 2016, while Luke's defamation lawsuit is still ongoing."
The next chapter in that legal saga is slated to unfold in court next summer, TMZ noted.
Kesha, meanwhile, posted a short, sweet note of appreciation to her supporters on Twitter Nov. 28: "Thank you," the singer sent out.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
