Heartstopper’s Kit Connor quits Twitter amid ‘queer-baiting’ accusations

Words: Emily Maskell; pictures: Netflix

Heartstopper star Kit Connor has seemingly been driven off Twitter amid online accusations of so-called ‘queer-baiting’.

The 18-year-old actor, who plays bisexual student Nick Nelson in the hit Netflix LGBTQ+ high school romance, announced that he was deleting Twitter on Monday (12 September).

this is a silly silly app. bit bored of it now, deleting twitter 🙂

— Kit Connor (@kit_connor) September 12, 2022

The actor tweeted: “this is a silly silly app. bit bored of it now,” before adding that he is “deleting” the social media app.

Connor’s co-star, Joe Locke, who plays protagonist Charlie in Heartstopper, retweeted Connor’s tweet, seemingly in an act of solidarity for his fellow actor.

Connor leaving the platform comes after he was spotted by fans holding hands with Maia Reficco, his co-star in A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow.

The actor has declined to label his sexuality publicly and some see him holding a woman’s hand as a reason to accuse him of ‘queer-baiting.’

However, many of Connor’s fans came to his defence.  

One fan shared: “i wish everyone who harassed kit connor and joe locke over the last 5 months the absolute worst”.

Another tweeted: “celebrities’ private lives are NOT a show for us to watch. kit connor is a 18 years old guy who wants to live his life in private. who are we to obsess over his life? let’s focus on his work as an actor, not his private life”.

This isn’t the first time the subject of Connor’s sexuality has become a trending topic.

In May of this year, when the actor’s sexuality was being rumoured online, he responded on Twitter: “twitter is so funny man. apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do…”

twitter is so funny man. apparently some people on here know my sexuality better than I do…

— Kit Connor (@kit_connor) May 2, 2022

Having never labelled himself, Connor has previously spoken about the damaging reality of speculating about sexuality.

Speaking to Attitude on the red carpet at the Virgin Media BAFTAs in London in May, Connor told us: “I think people ask questions but it doesn’t give them a right to know everything about everyone’s private life.”

“When someone’s in the public eye some people assume that they’re ok with their private lives being public,” he continued. “Just because you’re in something doesn’t mean you want your life spread around the Internet.”

Elsewhere, Connor also said that in 2022: “It feels a bit strange to make assumptions about a person’s sexuality just based on hearing their voice or seeing their appearance. I feel like that’s a very interesting, slightly problematic sort of assumption to make.”

After a highly successful debut season, Heartstopper has been renewed for a second and third season. 

The Attitude September/October issue is out now.