Doja Cat is hemorrhaging Instagram followers in the midst of her latest album rollout. But rather than apologizing for insulting dedicated fans, the singer is doubling down, saying the dropping numbers have made her "feel free."
Over the last 30 days, Doja Cat – whose real name is Amala Dlamini – has lost 911,910 Instagram followers, according to metrics tracker Social Blade. She currently stands at a staggering 25.1 million followers.
The losses come after Dlamini posted messages on X (the app formerly known as Twitter) and Threads last month that made fun of her most loyal fans for calling themselves "kittenz."
"My fans don't name themselves shit," she wrote on July 23. "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."
The remarks sparked outrage and ignited a discussion about the ethics of parasocial relationships between celebrities and their fans. Some are applauding the singer for setting boundaries, while others are questioning if she's sabotaging her own career.
Dlamini seems largely unbothered if she is losing fans by the multitude.
"Seeing all these people unfollow makes me feel like I've defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long," she wrote in an Instagram Story on Wednesday. "It feels like I can reconnect with the people who really matter and love me for who i am and not for who i was."
The following day, Dlamini reposted a meme to her Stories that read, "People pleasing is over become unacceptable."
—KenBarbie™ (@itsKenBarbie) July 23, 2023
In recent weeks, Dlamini has continued to feud with members of her communities. Along with dissing their self-given fandom name, the singer refuses to acknowledge the connection she has with some of them.
When another user told Doja Cat they wanted to hear her say she loved her fans, she responded, "I don't though cuz i don't even know yall."
Last month, NBC reported that one former fanpage operator named Jamun, who has since deactivated his @DojaNews account, suspected Dlamini was lashing out after fans had widely criticized her suspected boyfriend, J. Cyrus, a comedian and Twitch streamer, who has faced allegations of emotional abuse.
Dlamini's statements this week have only prompted her followers to continue hashing out the drama in the limited comments section of her latest post.
"Imagine getting mad at someone for setting boundaries with STRANGERS and thinking you're in the right," one wrote. "If u like when people unfollow you and u wish to be unfollowed," another argued, "why do u keep releasing music babes make it make sense."
Insider has reached out to Dlamini's reps for comment.
