Missouri’s First Male Homecoming Queen Responds to Criticism Following Viral Moment

The social media influencer sparked an intense debate online after he became the first male homecoming queen back in 2021. He reflected on his experience and the polarizing feedback he received.

Zachary Willmore is speaking out years after receiving overwhelming backlash in October 202,1 when he was crowned Homecoming Queen at Rock Bridge High School. The now 22-year-old made history as he became the first male student to receive the title in the state of Missouri.

In a video shared to his TikTok account that year, Willmore can be seen in a floor-length, sleeveless gold sequin gown, standing arm-in-arm with his contender, who wore a black gown with floral lace detailing.

As soon as his name was announced, the crowd erupted in cheers as he received his sash and a bouquet of flowers in front of his fellow classmates and school faculty members. Willmore, already wearing a crown, appeared visibly emotional.

"It was literally like a dream," he told KOMU 8 after his win. "It was just really special to me." By then, Willmore had already established himself as a content creator, posting videos that showed off his personality and style.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at San Diego State University, and has continued to create content catered to nearly three million supporters across his social media platforms. Recently, his homecoming video has resurfaced online.

News outlets have been revisiting the years-old story, and while Willmore is no stranger to going viral, the renewed interest still took him by surprise. "I feel like some of these articles that have come out recently are meant to enrage people," he told People in an interview published Monday, October 28.

"I see the highlighted words. It's like, 'Homecoming queen in the state of Missouri — who is a man.' I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is so obviously trying to rage-bait people,'" he continued. While Willmore did receive an overwhelming positive response to his video, the negativity was just as intense.

Prior to his homecoming, he had been campaigning for the queen title on TikTok and counting down the days until the big event. He recalled that the video reached five million views within a few hours before his account was suddenly banned.

"I think a lot of people were coming to report it just because they were really upset," he said. "I am definitely so much tougher of a person because of that experience, because I did get death threats [sent] to my house."

The college senior added that many naysayers tried to push the narrative that he stole the queen title from a girl; however, this was not the case. The school had always planned to crown a single winner regardless of gender — Willmore simply chose to run as queen.

"It was based off of popularity at the time and how many votes one specific person could garner regardless of the title," he shared. He acknowledged that some people may have been genuinely confused, but also noted that there was some degree of willful ignorance.

"At this point, I think that some people intentionally misunderstand," Willmore said. Despite the negativity he has since endured, the young influencer was still proud of the milestone.