Matty Healy of The 1975 performs during the closing day of Lollapalooza Chile 2023 at Parque Cerrillos on March 19, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images)

Matt Healy's 'Gay Kiss' at Malaysian Festival Could Cost Him $2.4 Million

Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.

Everyone remembers the infamous incident last year when The 1975 frontman, and enemy of the Swifties, Matt Healy kissed one of his bandmates at a Malaysian music festival to "protest" the country's anti-LGBTQ laws.

Well now the festival's organizers have officially filed a lawsuit against the band for $2.4 million in damages, Variety reported.

The organizer of Malaysia's Good Vibes Festival alleged that Healy and his bandmates had been briefed on what was prohibited at the festival–including using expletives, drinking on stage, and talking politics. But festival organizers accuse the band of willingly breaking the rules, causing the festival to be shut down.

In court documents, the festival organizers said the band previously played at the festival in 2016 and were informed multiple times of the prohibitions to play.

However, according to the details of the lawsuit, Healy allegedly was drinking alcohol, and acting "in a drunken way," smoking cigarettes "appear[ing] to vomit on the stage and/or grunt and spit excessively including towards the audience." Then he went into a "profanity-laden speech," and damaged festival camera equipment. Then there was the kiss.

The band were reportedly paid $350,000 to perform. However, the band reportedly changed their mind about performing at the festival the night before, and decided to protest being there by playing "a completely different setlist" and acting "in way that were intended to breach the Guidelines," the lawsuit alleges.

After Healy's smooch with a bandmate made headlines, his mother applauded his decision for seemingly acting in protest.

Yet, according to festival organizers, Healy was just being a heel.

The 1975 have not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.


by Emell Adolphus

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