Hayley Williams doesn’t have time for internet trolls. On Sunday, July 30th, the Paramore singer took to Instagram while recovering from a lung infection — which caused the postponement of some of the band’s tour dates — and slammed sexist “internet bros” for their critical outcries against her.
Sharing a screenshot of a post in which a Twitter user tried to give her shit for postponing the shows with the argument that Metallica and Iron Maiden are both older than her and still “manage” to perform, Williams served a slam-dunk response: “Neither James [Hetfield] nor Bruce [Dickinson] are gonna suck your dick for this, love.”
Williams then shared another screenshot, showing a Twitter user comparing her to Dave Grohl, who famously finished a Foo Fighters concert after breaking his leg in 2015. The twitter user called Williams “whiney,” but she eloquently responded with the truth. “I have a lung infection, you soft shit!” she wrote. “Not a broken limb. One you can sing with for two hours, another you can’t.”
Then, illustrating how out-of-touch internet trolls can be, Williams reminded folks that Grohl is a bonafide Paramore fan. “The shows weren’t canceled, merely postponed a week,” she wrote. “Maybe you should come out to one of them… like Dave did.” Just last month, Foo Fighters brought Williams on stage at Bonnaroo to perform “My Hero.”
Williams has been candid in the past about the sexism and discrimination women in music face. In another post on her story, she explained that “internet bros” have been unfairly attacking her since 2005. “The only thing that’s changed is the platform from which they spew their ignorance,” she explained, before giving the “bros” a lesson.
“Don’t think for a second [that] your favorite bands — metal or punk or otherwise — endorse your weird incel ass lifestyle,” she continued. “So many of these bands have stood side stage at our shows and treat us with respect. Why? Because they aren’t threatened by a strong woman [fronting] a great band in a completely different genre of music.” She couldn’t be more correct, and we reckon Grohl would probably agree with her, too.
Meanwhile, Paramore really is going to play those postponed shows. Check out the full list of dates, and grab your tickets here.