Harry Stylesis back on "Saturday Night Live," and he's making light of thosequeerbaitingallegations.
The Grammy-winning singer, 32, returned to host the sketch show for itsMarch 14 episode, for which he also served as the musical guest. "I wasn't sure if I would host again, but I couldn't resist when I heard they booked my favorite-ever musical guest," he quipped.
Styles went on to address the fact that he has taken time off since finishing his last tour. While reflecting on recent years of his career, he said, "People seemed to pay a lot of attention to the clothes I was wearing, and some people accused me of something called queerbaiting."
But, Styles added while jokingly adopting a voice to sound like a frustrated teenager, "Did it ever occur to you that maybe you don't know everything about me, Dad?"
Queerbaiting is aterm that has been applied to celebritieswho use queer aesthetics but don't identify as a part of that community. Styles has been accused of queerbaiting because of his bold fashion choices, including a 2020 Vogue cover where he wore a lace ballgown.
Harry Stylesaccused of 'queerbaiting.' What is that – and why does it matter?
On "SNL," Styles joked he learned during his break from music that he is "tremendously boring" and acknowledged he has taken up jogging.
"I don't run to be interesting," he said. "I do it for the feeling it gives me, that runner's high. It's just amazing. Watermelon sugar high, runner's high, and if that doesn't do it for you, I also love ecstasy.
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"As a British man who spent a lot of his life in the public eye, I can assure you there's something nice about being boring. It's better than the alternative," he said, before showing a photo ofPrince Andrew following his recent arreston suspicion of misconduct in public life.
Styles also said that despite his new album being titled "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally," he doesn't actually want to "kiss all the time," which disappointed cast members Chloe Fineman and Sarah Sherman. When Ben Marshall entered, though, the two shared a kiss on the lips.
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"Now that's queerbaiting," Styles joked.
Styles hosted "SNL" one week after appearing onthe March 7 episode hosted by Ryan Gosling. Styles showed up for a surprise cameo during the "Project Hail Mary" actor's monologue, the premise of which was that Gosling was distracted by Styles upstaging him by sitting in the front row and drawing everyone's attention.
"I'm hosting next week, and it's been a while, so I just wanted to watch, get a feel for it," Styles said.
Gosling returned the favor by making a cameo during Styles' episode to help introduce one of his musical performances.
Contributing: David Oliver
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Harry Styles makes 'SNL' queerbaiting jokes, kisses Ben Marshall