Halsey is not letting Anthony Fantano have the last word. The singer delivered a blistering response after the music critic suggested that people cared more about his review of her album The Great Impersonator than the record itself. Fantano originally reviewed the album in October 2025, giving it a notoriously low score of “light to decent 1” and accusing the artist of displaying “the worst case of main character syndrome” he had heard on any pop album.
The exchange reignited on June 21, 2026, when Fantano replied to a user discussing the lingering discourse around his review. Halsey responded directly, writing: “I’m certain my least memorable song will be remembered more fondly and for more time than anything you ever do with your life will be. Everything you say is more ‘whiny’ and ‘edgy’ than I was at any point on that album. But at least I had the excuse of going through chemo”.
The Great Impersonator was released during an incredibly difficult period for Halsey. The singer was undergoing chemotherapy treatment while creating the project, and the album’s lyrics grapple with mortality, illness, and the fear of leaving a legacy. Halsey has also faced the end of a relationship and other personal struggles during this time, making the record one of the most vulnerable of her career.
Critics of Fantano’s original review argued that he missed the point entirely. Some noted that calling the album “main character syndrome” felt degrading, especially given Halsey’s health battles. One user response to Fantano’s review described it as “disrespectful” and noted that Halsey’s experience with illness should have been considered.
Halsey didn’t stop with the initial clapback. She expanded her criticism in a follow-up statement, calling Fantano a “raised-by-4chan edgelord bully” and accusing him of validating real fears for women with serious health issues. “Being a woman dealing with serious health issues often means being afraid of telling the truth about the pain you’re in because you’re afraid of not being believed or seeming attention seeking,” she wrote. “He validated that fear to thousands of women”.
The music critic, known for his YouTube channel The Needle Drop, responded to Halsey’s initial statement with a brief tweet: “flattered to be on your radar, queen”. His response was met with mixed reactions, with some criticizing what they called a dismissive tone.
