Controversies

For the most part the Supergirl cast has stayed out of controversies, however during the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con several cast members were in hot water after they belittled a popular ship (Kara and Lena) on the show. The most popular ship on the show features the two characters Kara and Lena, coined Supercorp, who are best friends. At the event the cast were asked to summarize the past season in a song. During this performance, actor Jeremy Jordan, who plays Winn Schott, went out of his way to exclaim that Kara and Luthor were “only friends”. Jordan went on to say that he “just debunked Supercorp,” and that he was sure he would receive backlash from fans. Melissa Benoist, who plays Supergirl, endorsed Jordan, jokingly saying it was “very brave.” Many fans from the LGBTQ+ community felt disrespected and not seen. A significant portion of Supergirl’s fandom is from the LGBTQ+ community due to the show’s inclusion of an openly gay character and a transgender character (played by a trans actress) in later seasons. Due to this incident Jordan had to issue two apologies. The second one issued after fans deemed the first insincere and more defensive than apologetic. 

Whether you agree with Jordan’s sentiments or not, there is a history of queerbaiting within TV shows to get more views. Historically Supergirl has been great with representation, but it is different having a main character being part of the LGBTQ+ community because it rarely happens. Supergirl has been accused of queerbaiting with their main character, Kara, and her best friend, Lena. the LGBTQ+ community watches these shows with the hope that their ships will come to life. Creators feed into that by creating moments that could be seen as romantic intentions. However, it isn’t just the queerbaiting that was concerning, it was also the belittling of the ship itself. Shipping, whether you agree with or not, is a huge part of fan culture. Many fans see themselves reflected in certain characters or relationships, which causes them to be vulnerable. So belittling a ship can be seen as belittling one’s emotions. There is an unsaid rule for actors and actresses to not speak against any relationships on shows. It isn’t just to protect actors and actresses, but also fans. This incident did not seem to affect the popularity of the show as the fandom is still quite active.