Married At First Sight star Dean Wells breaks his silence after being dropped by his management

Dean Wells has broken his silence after being dropped by his management for criticising a taxpayer-funded drag queen story time event in Sydney.

The former Married At First Sight star, 44, came under fire last week after he shared a Photoshopped flyer advertising a performance by Sydney drag queen Charisma Belle at Manly Library for children as young as three.

Dean edited the original flyer to include an unrelated image taken from Charisma’s Instagram feed showing the performer spreading her legs in a vulgar fashion with a taco in her crotch.

He accompanied this with a caption condemning the event and labelling drag  performances ‘inherently sexual’ – sparking outrage among critics. 

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, Dean doubled on his belief that drag performances are inappropriate for young children and should not be paid for by the government.

Dean said he respects the ‘LGBTQ2S+ community’, and his original post had nothing to do with targeting queer individuals. 

Dean shared a Photoshopped flyer to Instagram advertising a performance by Sydney drag queen Charisma Belle at Manly Library for children as young as three

Rather, he was was expressing his doubts about the ‘benefits’ of exposing young kids to overt expressions of sexuality, whether it be via events featuring drag queens, dominatrixes or strippers.

LGBTQ2S+ is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Two-Spirit.

‘In no way am I transphobic, homophobic or hateful,’ said Dean, who has five gay family members and a professional mentor who is gay. 

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, Dean doubled on his belief that drag performances are inappropriate for children and should not be paid for by the government

‘My post was about one thing. Is it appropriate for three-year-old kids to be exposed to advanced gender and sexual ideologies? I would personally think around the age of 12 is more suitable for that kind of thing.’

‘I was curious to know what other people thought. After all this is a taxpayer-funded event in my neighborhood, I think I have the right to ask that question,’ added the Manly-based creative agency executive.

Dean also noted he didn’t know if Charisma Belle was a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, as there are straight men who also participate in the art form.

Dean explained that he respects the LGBTQ2S+ community, and that his original post had nothing to do with targeting queer individuals. Rather, he was was expressing his doubts about the ‘benefits’ of exposing young kids to overt expressions of sexuality, whether it be via events featuring drag queens, dominatrixes or strippers

‘I did not ‘doctor’ any photo or attempt to mislead anyone. I took an image of the drag queen in question, that he himself posted to his instagram, and put it next to the Manly libraries website post to show people who the Drag Queen is,’ he explained. (Pictured: The original photo on Charisma Belle’s Instagram page) 

‘I had no idea of the drag queens sexuality. Are all drag queens even gay? I don’t know. I’m pretty sure they are not. I didn’t even talk about that in my post. So the accusations of me being transphobic or homophobic are just plain false,’ he said. 

Elsewhere in his statement, Dean set the record straight on claims that he ‘doctored’ the original flyer advertising Charisma Belle’s appearance at Manly Library. 

‘I did not ‘doctor’ any photo or attempt to mislead anyone. I took an image of the drag queen in question, that he himself posted to his instagram, and put it next to the Manly libraries website post to show people who the Drag Queen is,’ he explained. 

 He also noted that, while the intense online backlash has ‘taken a toll’ on his mental health, he won’t be silenced

‘I clearly stated in the caption that I had merged the two screenshots and that the library was not using this image to advertise the event. So how is that misleading?’

He also noted that, while the intense online backlash has ‘taken a toll’ on his mental health, he won’t be silenced. 

Dean has now set up a Patreon account where he will express his views and share exclusive content for like-minded fans.   

Dean was dropped by his management last week after he uploaded an edited flyer advertising drag queen Charisma Belle’s upcoming appearance at Manly Library 

‘Despite all the haters, I’m not going anywhere, and this experience has inspired me to work even harder,’ he said.  

Dean was dropped by his management last week after he uploaded an edited flyer advertising drag queen Charisma Belle’s upcoming appearance at Manly Library. 

‘The Drag Queen Story Time will feature stories and songs celebrating family, love, and being yourself,’ the flyer read.

‘The Story Time will be followed by a creative craft for attendees to keep. Suitable for children aged 3+’.

Charisma Belle (pictured), the drag queen booked to perform at the event, responded to the furore in a lengthy statement and condemned Dean’s post

Dean accompanied this with a caption explaining why he believes such events are problematic.  

‘Our tax dollars are being used to fund a thing called ‘Drag Queen Story Time’ where drag queens go to our libraries and schools and are paid to read to kids as young as three, usually about gender identity and from an extremist left wing perspective,’ he wrote. 

‘I honestly do not get what the cultural benefit of this is and think it is sending confusing messages to kids.’

‘Another straight man telling people how to behave and dissecting a community they have had very limited experience with,’ Charisma wrote

Dean also said that ‘being a drag queen is inherently sexual’ and that some have ‘serious mental disorders that need to be dealt with’.

The post sparked major backlash online, and Dean eventually removed it from his page.

Charisma Belle, the drag queen booked to perform at the event, also responded to the furore in a lengthy statement of their own.

Following the backlash, Dean’s management agency Stage Addiction dropped him

‘Another straight man telling people how to behave and dissecting a community they have had very limited experience with,’ Charisma wrote.

The performer said that calling the art of drag ‘sexual’ was ‘laughable’ before slamming Dean for sharing a doctored image. 

‘You purposely went through my Instagram page to find the most ‘sexual’ picture you could, to mock up a fake ad for the event. You purposely misrepresented the situation and misguided your followers,’ Charisma wrote.

‘Story Time is not just about the kids. It’s about the whole family. After reading to the children, I spend time chatting with the parents and answering any questions that might arise,’ they explained.

‘Story Time is for parents that want their kids to grow up to be well adjusted human beings. At one Story Time I facilitated, we had a boy who loved to wear sequin and sparkly shoes attend. His father bought him to story time to show him, that he is not alone. You see, just like you and I, Story Time also has many benefits and facets.’

Since his time on reality TV, Dean now hosts his own politically incorrect podcast and YouTube series called Dangerous Ideas with Deano

Charisma also claimed that the event could ‘save lives’ and that’s why it was being funded by taxpayers. 

‘You seem to be quite worried about the taxpayer. I’ll remind you we all pay tax, the parents of the kids that attend have paid their fair share and are obviously happy that the event exists,’ Charisma said.

‘The small about we are paid for such events will not build a house or stop starvation, but it could help in building a saver environment for young LGBTIQA kids later in life. These small events could even save lives.’

Following the backlash, Dean’s management agency Stage Addiction dropped him.

‘As a queer-owned business, Stage Addiction has always and will always celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community,’ they said in a statement.

Dean hosts his own politically incorrect podcast and YouTube series called Dangerous Ideas with Deano

‘The deeply hurtful comments made today by Dean Wells do not align with our values and as such we have parted ways.’

Stage Addiction represents many of Australia’s most progressive and diverse stars, including Abbie Chatfield, Angie Kent, drag queen Art Simone, and more. 

The agency had been quite successful in getting Dean work on reality television after his stint on MAFS in 2018, landing him a spot on Channel 10’s Dancing With The Stars in 2020. 

He now hosts his own politically incorrect podcast and YouTube series called Dangerous Ideas with Deano.

Dean Wells’ comment in full

I shared an opinion about Drag Queen Story Time and got dropped by my management. 

Last week a concerned mother reached out and asked me to post something about Manly Library doing Drag Queen Story time for children as young as 3.

I just want to make a side note here. It is my belief that we are all born with our sexual preferences, and that’s just who we are, so judging someone purely for being themselves is not OK. The drag queen in question actually seems like a nice sweet man.

I have always been around the LGBTQIA2+ community. I have 5 gay family members including my sister. My professional mentor growing up was a gay man. I did an hour long, interview with transgender activist Blaire White, it’s on my YouTube. It was an eye opening, respectful discussion. In no way am I transphobic, homophobic or hateful. My post was about one thing. Is it appropriate for 3 year old kids to be exposed to advanced gender and sexual ideologies?

I would personally think around the age of 12 is more suitable for that kind of thing. I was curious to know what other people thought. After all this is a taxpayer funded event in my neighborhood, I think I have the right to ask that question. Not long after the post, I was attacked with nasty, threatening comments and DMs from other drag queens and ‘woke’ influencers accusing me of being transphobic and all kinds of other ridiculous insults.

Many of these people tagged my management company, Stage Addiction, and were aggressively harassing them to drop me. Sure enough, an hour or so later, I got an email. They did drop me. Their reason? ‘Your recent online conduct’.

They also posted this on their instagram story…

 

Then the media picked up on it, the headline was ‘Dean Wells is dropped by his manager for transphobic post in which he doctored a photo to mislead his audience’.

Firstly, I had no idea of the drag queens sexuality. Are all drag queens even gay? I don’t know. I’m pretty sure they are not. I didnt even talk about that in my post. So the accusations of me being transphobic or homophobic are just plain false. This post was about 1 thing Drag Queen Story Time for 3 year olds. Nothing else.

Secondly, I did not ‘doctor’ any photo or attempt to mislead anyone. I took an image of the drag queen in question, that he himself posted to his instagram, and put it next to the Manly libraries website post to show people who the Drag Queen is.

I clearly stated in the caption that I had merged the two screenshots and that the library was not using this image to advertise the event. So how is that misleading? Obviously the media needed to drum up some clickbait and I’m very used to those tactics so it didn’t surprise me. But this incident proved that any one of us can be labeled as a homophobe and get fired from your job, just for questioning 1 tiny aspect of the LBGTQIA2+ narrative.

The craziest part is that my post was nothing to do with the LGBTQIA2+ movement. I would have exactly the same issue if it was ‘Dominatrix Story Time’ or ‘Stripper Story Time’. The thing they have in common is they are expressions of a person’s sexuality. My stance may not be popular to some, but I know a lot of people who would like to ask the very same question. Is Drag Queen Story Time suitable for 3 year old kids?

Yes, I’m not convinced there is any benefit to having Drag Queens read to 3 year olds. And I know there are many LGBTQIA2+ people out there that would also have questions about that. Eventually, the threats of violence and intimidation became too much for myself and those around me so I decided to delete the post. It just wasn’t worth the trouble.

I’m not gonna lie, all of this took a toll on my mental health. I’ve moved on from it all now and I’m fine. But no one should let a few bullies stop them from expressing their opinions. This has only taught me that we need to have more of these conversations and I’m not gonna stop expressing myself. 

I will be managing my own media and collaborations from now on. I welcome any open minded organisations to reach out if you want to connect with an audience of free thinking, intelligent, diverse people. 

Despite all the haters, I’m not going anywhere, and this experience has inspired me to work even harder. Hopefully in the future we can learn to listen to other people’s perspectives instead of racing to cancel them.