Mean Girls (2024) has apparently cut out a joke about Mean Girls (2004) star Lindsay Lohan, which had been the source of controversy.
The movie adaptation of the Mean Girls stage musical follows many of the same beats as the original film – but obviously has to factor in one big societal change of the last twenty years: social media. Tweets and TikToks are thrown around aggressively in Mean Girls (2024), as the school community, local community, and even online community influencers and stars all get in on the reign of queen Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and the rise of would-be challenger for the high school crown, new girl Cady Heron (Angourie Rice). Like in the original Mean Girls, the new version sees Cady’s social status after a pivotal turn at the Winter Talent Show.
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In the original, the Plastics’ dance routine going wrong is an embarrassment limited to those in the attending audience; in Mean Girls (2024), the Plastics have to see their embarrassing moment go viral on social media. It becomes the will of the online masses that Cady becomes the new queen of the Plastics – and even Megan Thee Stallion co-signs the change in lineup.
Originally, Mean Girls (2024) featured a cut scene of social media reactions to Plastics’ dance routine featuring a cameo by Megan Thee Stallion, who declares to her “Hotties” (i.e. fans) that “We are going back to red! Y2K fire crotch is back!” The line is a reference to Lindsay Lohan’s infamous nickname, which began with a 2006 Papapprazzi video of Paris Hilton and friend, oil fortune heir Brandon Davis leaving a club. In that video, a seemingly inebriated Davis went on a tirade about Lindsay Lohan, grossly disparaging her body in a way that would certainly get one canceled in the era of Twitter. “Fire Crotch” became the safest soundbite from rant for publications and talk shows to run with, and Lohan soon found herself often being verbally accosted by those imitating or referencing the original video.
The Messenger reported that Lindsay Lohan was “very hurt and disappointed” that the joke from Megan Thee Stallion made it into the theatrical cut of Mean Girls (2024). Lohan makes a cameo appearance in the climax of the film, and apparently didn’t know the line was in the movie until she saw it at the premiere.
Mean Girls (2024) Cuts Controversial Lindsay Lohan Joke
Popculture Planet reporter Kristen Maldonado has watched the digital release of Mean Girls (2024) and quickly spotted something different: the joke about fire crotch is gone. “It seems it has been removed for the film’s digital release,” Maldonado writes, “During my re-watch of the film, I noticed that Megan Thee Stallion’s line now ends at “We are going back red” and jumps to her laughing, cutting out ‘Y2K fire crotch is back’ entirely.”
By today’s standards, the entire incident with Lindsay Lohan and that nickname seems grossly inappropriate – and the objections to it being a joke played for laughs are understandable. Especially if you’re Lindsay Lohan.
Mean Girls (2024) is now available of VOD and digital release.
