Dressed in pink from head to toe, fans flocked to movie theaters this weekend to watch the highly anticipated Mean Girls remake—proving that plastic is forever. The movie musical—which is an adaptation of the 2018 Tony-nominated Broadway musical, based on the 2004 film—grossed an estimated $32 million over the long holiday weekend, according to Entertainment Tonight.
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Mean Girls is designed to bring in new viewers while also appealing to fans of the original, with plenty of callbacks and nostalgic surprises. However, not all surprises are good, as Lindsay Lohan—who starred as Cady Heron in the 2004 film—has learned. One joke in particular caught the actor off-guard, with her reps saying she's "hurt and disappointed" by its inclusion in the new movie. (Warning: minor spoilers for Mean Girls follow!)
First, some context: A lot has happened over the last 20 years, and for high schoolers, the biggest change has arguably been the influence of social media. TikTok is referenced throughout the musical remake of Mean Girls, often utilized as a vessel for talking about and spreading gossip.
So of course, Mean Girls' infamous Christmas talent show scene ends up on TikTok. Immediately, the characters start commenting about the incident, and how it could have been prevented.
Then celebrities chime in, including Megan Thee Stallion, who says in her response, “Y2K fire crotch is back.” The joke is targeted at Cady, but it’s also a not-so-nice reference to an actual insult that was hurled at Lohan in 2006.
The jab originated from oil heir Brandon Davis, whose hot mic moment with TMZ went viral. Not only did the insult become an unfortunate nickname for Lohan, but it caused a rift in her friendship with Paris Hilton, who was with Davis when it happened.
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Lohan was reportedly left in the dark about the joke, The Messenger reports. The actor—who also makes a surprise appearance in the remake—attended the New York City premiere, and was just as shocked as everyone else in the room when she heard "fire crotch" in the movie.
"Lindsay was very hurt and disappointed by the reference in the film,” Lohan’s rep Leslie Sloane told The Messenger.
Another source told outlets that Lohan was visibly “surprised and taken aback.”
For the most part, the new Mean Girls is notably gentler than the original, with some of the jokes softened for a modern audience. Screenwriter Tina Fey, who wrote the 2004 film and the remake, has warned fans that some of the iconic quotes from the first Mean Girlsdidn’t make the cut this time around.
"It's tricky because jokes have to be surprises to work," Fey told Entertainment Weekly. "There's a little nostalgic dopamine that we get, but I learned doing the musical that if you want it to play as a joke, it's not going to play the same if it's just the same. So finding genuine new moments and then finding spots to subvert what you expect the old line to be was really helpful.”
Among the cuts: Coach Carr’s sex ed speech has become more refined, and Karen asking Cady why she's white is no longer included. Many of these changes are more in line with contemporary sensibilities—but for her part, Lohan is still offended by what the new Mean Girls left in.
