Hansongate

This article documents a currently unfolding situation within the fannish realm. Content may change quickly, and the page structure itself may undergo major revision. New details are very welcome.

Hansongate, which may also be referred to as Pinterestgate, refers not to one single event, but to the series of bad takes members of Hanson have publicly shared (or defended when private accounts became public) beginning in 2020. These offensive and alienating opinions centered around Black Lives Matter and Covid-19, but also touched upon gun ownership and the LGBT community.

The band has always made a point of staying silent on political issues, though many fans would point out that it was not a secret that the band were conservative. Still, the extent of their harmful beliefs and the fact that they kept them hidden to appeal to a wider audience did not sit well with many fans when it was exposed.

Timeline

Covid-19

On March 12, 2020, Zac made a post on Instagram that encouraged people to "live their lives and not lick doorknobs." Fans were quick to point out his callous dismissal of the seriousness of the pandemic. Many hoped that his attitude would improve after the death of Taylor's Tinted Windows bandmate Adam Schlesinger on April 1.

The band was slow to cancel in-person concerts and events scheduled for May 2020 and January 2021, but eventually did so, offering fans the choice for refunds or to transfer their tickets to future events. From October 2020 to January 2021, the band hosted a series of hybrid concerts from their hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. There was some confusion over whether they were profiting from these shows or benefitting the venue where they were hosted. Fans could purchase streaming tickets or attend in person in small groups. The in-person concert had limited seating at tables with masks required when not seated, but many fans felt this was not safe enough. Indeed, one case of Covid-19 was reported following the November 2020 concert.

Fans who attended the first of these concerts reported that Zac and Isaac were greeting fans maskless after the show, and did not accept the masks fans attempted to give them. These fans were themselves criticized for attending the concerts and confronting the band.

On November 1, 2020, Isaac posted a long Instagram story stating that the government was trying to cancel Christmas. The following day, rather than apologize, he attempted to clarify his position with a series of questions about where to draw the line on lockdowns. He then deleted a post fans had used to comment on these stories and disabled all comments.

Black Lives Matter

In the days following George Floyd's murder, fans pointed out the lack of any comment on Hanson's social media, especially as they continued to post other content. On May 31, Taylor posted a photo of George Floyd on his personal Instagram, followed by a black square on June 2. The following day, Isaac posted a statement about how "racism is wrong." The lack of the phrase "black lives matter" and no post from Zac felt very obvious and glaring to many fans. On June 5, after attempting to respond to some fans concerns directly, Zac makes a post that still does not say BLM but does endorse changes in policing. That same day, the band posts a photo of their hands along with their black backup musicians hands accompanied by a statement that still does explicitly say BLM. This is followed by a "love casts out fear" post on Taylor's personal page.

On June 6, a private Pinterest account of Zac's leaks (more info below) and the call for boycotting the band begins. Finally, on June 8, the band explicitly states that black lives matter, but the delaying, timing and wording of their statement leaves many fans unsatisfied.

Pinterestgate

A private Pinterest account belonging to Zac was leaked on June 6. The account appeared to be related to the Airsoft team he managed, but included many offensive memes relating to gun rights. These included ones that showed support for George Zimmermann, likened gun rights to civil rights, and suggested that men without guns were gay or actually women.

When fans asked Zac about these memes on IG, he admitted the account was his and attempted to defend the memes as "jokes" or explain how he viewed them only through the lens of second amendment rights. These comments were later deleted. Zac's wife Kate also posted a statement on IG defending Zac and stating that he would lay down his life for anyone, before making her account private.

An unposted blog on the band's official website was discovered on July 18. Although it did feature something of an apology from Zac, it remained clear that he felt attacked and placed more value on the fans who defended him than those who had been critical of him and the band. In a post-concert livestream, Taylor mentioned hansongate by name and acknowledged that it had been a difficult year for many fans.

In May of 2021 Hanson once again addressed the issue in a livestream after a fan asked about it. It was met with mixed reviews that tended to fall along the lines of where fans fell in terms of where they were in the fandom journey at the time..

Reactions Outside Of Fandom

On November 4, Queerty posted a short story on Isaac's statements about Christmas. The story was picked up by a number of outlets, including MSN and The Mirror. Perez Hilton had the following to say:

This just sounds all kinds of wack. Why can’t believers have faith AND comply with health and safety measures put into place because of this very real pandemic? Apparently, it’s because they are super against the idea of not having a big blowout celebration on Christmas. Yes, sadly Isaac is part of the Kirk Cameron‘s Saving Christmas theological school of thought which equates Christianity with most commercial aspects of the holiday — buying/receiving gifts, throwing parties, opulent decorations.

The first major outlet to pick up the story of Hansongate itself was Vice, in a long piece published on November 10, 2020. In the article, several fans are interviewed and comparisons are drawn to the Harry Potter fandom. Several other news outlets used the Vice investigation as a basis for their own articles.

Few fellow celebrities and musicians have spoken out about the controversy. On March 8, 2021, the band Eve 6 tweeted a variety of things about Hanson, beginning with a comparison to Mumford and Sons (facing their own backlash for endorsing Jordan Peterson and for endorsement of fascist ideals by one member), and including the statement "im saying they’re better musically my take ends there. i haven’t personally kept up with hanson on reddit."

Fan Reactions

A subreddit called r/posthanson was created on June 6 for fans struggling with the band's behavior. By June 10, many fan groups on Facebook have temporarily archived their groups to give fans time to cool down. In the months following the bulk of these events, fighting between fans of different brothers has gotten worse, with many fans feeling Taylor is the only band member worth of any support. Many fans also felt that continuing to be active in the fandom was to tacitly support the band's behavior. The term "klanson" had been thrown around to describe fans who still supported the band, but has not reached widespread usage.

A fan or group of fans has created a series of nearly identical websites (linked below) that use the terms "hansongate" and "posthanson" but are in fact created in defense of the band and against the cancellation campaign. Their websites and posts seem clearly aimed at flooding out actual discussion of hansongate with posts promoting and supporting the band.

Comments

Post Hanson

As a Christian, it makes me so sad to see how morally bankrupt Zac is. So full of hate towards people who don’t share his views, so full of hate for those who don’t live the same lifestyle he does. I can laugh off how out of touch he is, how privileged he is without recognising his own privilege, I don’t even care if he supports Trump but I just cannot get past the fact that he brands himself a Christian, then leads his life in a way that is completely at odds with the Christian faith. Remember WWJD? Well Zac, Jesus definitely wouldn’t be posting racist and homophobic memes on Pinterest. Just food for thought……do better. Live by God. Love everyone, support everyone. But when all is said and done if you’re spending your time trying to isolate people for their skin colour or sexual orientation, meanwhile you aren’t exactly doing anything to lift people up and you make your income from ripping people off? Time to reflect on why you even call yourself a Christian.

The vice article was just the tip of the iceberg. I know of one major publication currently doing a pretty big think piece on it. I work for said magazine, although I work in a very different capacity and department, people do talk. I’ve been a fan for years, so staffers I’m friendly with keep updating me on it. I honestly couldn’t even defend the band, I just had nothing worth saying that would paint them favourably. All I know is that this story was given the green light for a larger scale article and that the worst is yet to come for the band. If they weren’t already over, they sure are about to be. It makes me so sad, but they did do this to themselves. As a Christian, I just pray nightly that instead of defending the hate and disregard they spew, that as a band and as individuals they can begin to see things from a different perspective and see that we are not out to destroy them, but we do feel responsible to make sure others can see how low their morals are.

I think I am finally able to accept moving forward still loving this band despite losing a great deal of respect for the three people in it. But I am having a hard time letting go of the personal hurt feelings of being blocked by Zac on Instagram (for the record, my comments expressed disappointment but were always respectful). How do I get over this?

Anyone else out there assuming that the Zac apologists are most likely Trump supporters and closet white nationalists?

I haven’t been able to get excited about Hanson since before Pinterestgate and more so the bands reaction to it. I wish I could. I wish I could get over it, but I am still so hurt. I still have a few toes left in the door, but I’m mostly sticking around for my friends. I don’t even want them to know I feel this way. I’m embarrassed at how heavily I’ve grieved after Zac blocked me (for an innocent question). Then he mocks Juneteenth and likes fans’ racist comments? I always knew he was an asshole and made excuses for him, but I didn’t realize how far gone he really is. Realizing one of your idols is an immature, narcissist bigot is heartbreaking. Then to be made fun of for hurting? Sorry I have a heart and conscience? Reddit helps me feel like I’m not alone, but I wish my friends understood. I got the new EP in the mail and I don’t care. New music video? Don’t care. Concerts coming up? Don’t care. I’m gutted that they no longer give me that magical feeling. I don’t want to let them go, but I can’t bring myself to put my Hanson ring back on. I have trepidation about sending this confession in since I know how heartless the comments can be. Please don’t. I’m going through so much other shit and Hanson was my refuge and I feel like I don’t have refuge anymore. I miss the feeling they gave me for 23 years and don’t know what to do without it.

My mother, father and grandfather all served in the military. My sister and nephew are currently serving. We are a black family.I am so sorry I wasted money that I made over the years on Hanson. When my proud black family were serving our country, Zac Hanson was posting racist memes online and actively spreading lies about murdered unarmed black teens (Trayvon Martin). He was also writing crappy music (let’s be real, they aren’t exactly The Beatles), ripping off people’s artwork, having a ton of kids that his wife could raise whilst he runs around playing with nerf guns and video games. What a hero, eh? If his views are so right leaning and American proud, maybe he could wear a uniform, serve his country and actually contribute instead of being racist.Hanson are over for me.

I’ve put up with a lot of shit from Hanson, but the lack of support for black people is the end of the line. Truly never expected this from them. I am so saddened.

Hanson have finally built a cohesive community… by making so many disgusting mistakes that everyone feels like they cannot NOT condemn them anymore.

As someone who has lost a close friend to Covid-19 and is dealing with the absolute heartbreak of this pandemic I can say I am DONE with Hanson. From Zac’s idiotic and downright offensive posts to them selling a Quaranstream t-shirt. They are gross, money grabbers who clearly don’t give a shit. Over and out, I’m done with Hanson for good.

It hurts. So much of my self-identity was forged through the messages in their music and their activism, or what I thought was activism anyway. "Weird" literally pulled me out of a very dark mental hole and to have that tossed back in my face is insulting and painful.

Hanson must speak on the maltreatment of Black People because they have gained so much from them, and been vocal about that. They talk about Black artists being their inspiration, and in their RnR series featured several Black musicians. If they don't stand up for their lives, they are showing they they only value Black people for exploitation and appropriation.

In Support of Band and Zac

“hansongate” IS NOT A THING. NO ONE besides people on these pages has ever even heard of it. It never trended on twitter or made any other main stream site. Stop acting like they are evil or the band is “crumbling”. They don’t care your upset over Zac’s PRIVATE page that got leaked. Maybe YOU shouldn’t have created a false idea in your heads of what they are like in person when half of you don’t even have a clue. Don’t put people you don’t know on pedastols fucken bunch of erotomaniacs.

Zac tried talking to fans but you just pulled apart everything he said and twisted it into something else. Nothing they say will appease you, the wording or the timing will be wrong, you just want an excuse to judge and criticize. I call BS on this rubbish not being political, you have chastised them for years for suspecting they vote republican, if you knew they were all democrats you wouldn’t have given two hoots about any of this nonsense. You must be leading sad little lives to be getting your jollies from trying to ruin other people’s, I’ve seen you all on forums etc. rubbing your hands together with glee at the thought of ending their career. You should be taking a long hard look at yourselves because your bullying behaviour is disgraceful and has been far worse than anything the band has ever done.

Have you all ever stopped and think that maybe Hanson are not releasing a new album because of all the hate they are receiving? Maybe they are waiting for a better moment to start a new era?

Some of the fans who’ve left Hanson have decided that the Hanson fandom is a “cult.” Well maybe it is, and the fact that you’re willing to leave over such silliness proves that you never belonged with us in the first place.

Can everyone hating on Hanson please just bore off and leave the fandom now. You’re all saying you’re done, prove it. Leave the rest of us logical thinking, open minded, non lemming fans in peace. Go harass Trump or something.

Anyone who needs a former Hanson fan recovery/support group to whine about how you’re being victimized by Zac is lame as hell. I bet you aren’t putting this much energy into going after the REAL racists and bigots, so you obviously don’t care as much as you claim to.

Over 1 million pounds of food. That’s how much Hanson FOTM has donated with events changing from twice and 2 location to 5 times a week at over 10 locations. Music can be out on the back burner for the sake of humanity. Any you say Hanson doesn’t do anything for their community. Stop complaining and looking for evil, and start doing something to be the change you want to see in the world. confessinbouthanson post Jul 24, 2020]</ref>

To suggest someone doesn’t support a cause because they didn’t mention it or mention it enough on their social media is so..2020. I care more about the actions an individual takes over their social media posts. Taylor and his wife’s Food on The Move is impactful in their community. They don’t owe us fans canned social media responses. We should all be DOING and listening more …and talking less.

Death of the "Author"

For the fans telling people to “get over” Hansongate or “stop being fans already”:

1.This has nothing to do with you. Hanson is to blame. Why further divide the fandom? 2.Many of us are genuinely trying to let go. It’s not easy, and there’s no right way to deal with this. Try having some compassion.

3.We know you want us out of the picture, but what does Hanson want? Does the band feel like they’re better off without the fans they’ve hurt?

Do Hanson deserve everything bad we’ve said so far? Yes, but I am afraid that if we keep on berating on them we’ll reach a point of no return. I fear they won’t want to do normal things like touring and realising new albums, but only events that get them a lot of money… I guess it already seems that way.

This is such a great example of why I am having trouble even listening to Hanson lately. While I can somewhat separate my love of someone’s music from their ideas and don’t necessarily think that we should cancel someone COMPLETELY out because of their beliefs, I find it incredibly difficult to not hold them accountable for their actions when they post things like this without truly understanding the history and fight that this man contributed to. They insert themselves into humanitarian and civil rights efforts and then get upset when held accountable.

I don’t like Hanson anymore for what they did. But I want to stick by ONLY for the music. I don’t think this makes me a bad fan.

You know what’s really fun? Being one of those marginalized fans that chose to stick around because they separate the art from the artist, but are now bearing the brunt of all Hansongate has to offer. You know, one of those POC people now being labeled a ‘klanson,’ or being told they ‘don’t get it’ because they’re not upset enough. Or being a trans or LGBT+ fan being told they’re obviously ‘privileged’ because they can continue being a fan. My favorite part is the fact that the gators think they’re hurting the band by constantly bombarding their posts with snide comments and links to their reddit page on every single thing the band posts, but they’re actually just hurting the fans that have chosen to stay—even marginalized ones like me. The kicker? Watching all the gators cackle and roll their eyes as Hanson withholds new music, but knowing full well if Hanson DID try to release anything new, the gators would do what they’ve been doing, and try to ruin the publicity for the album. Another fun thing this particular group of marginalized Hanson fans have to deal with, is the knowledge that their identity, their struggles, their morals, etc etc, will immediately be called into question when posting things like this because it fits the narrative the gators are going for. I know i can’t possibly speak for every single marginalized Hanson fan or ex-Hanson fan, but…they don’t either and they should stop acting like they do.

I want to share why I am choosing to stay active in this fandom.

The short answer is, because people are not just one thing. Three people are not just one thing. And it’s perfectly possible and acceptable to be disappointed in someone’s words or actions and still love other things about them enough to allow them compassion and space to grow.

That growth won’t happen overnight. It won’t happen at the pace we want it to, or in the way we want it to. The perfect words and the perfect actions will never exist, and even if they did, none of us know the band or their families well enough to be sure of whether or not they always act that way. I have had to confront and let go of my desire to know about every single mistake they, or anyone, has ever made.

As of right now, I’ve decided I will still listen to their new music, but I won’t buy it directly from them — I’ll use my Apple Music subscription. Concerts are up in the air at this point — I haven’t decided. I don't feel great about my decision, but after 23 years, it’s where I’m at. Honestly, I wish I were stronger about this and could give up the music — and maybe I can. Maybe I’ll feel differently by the time new music comes out.

Fanworks

• Some Secrets Can't Be Pinned by Honeybee1984 was inspired by the Hansongate controversy.