Caleb Williams with painted fingernails – Photo: Caleb Williams, via Instagram
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was targeted by online trolls after posting photos of himself on social media with his fingernails painted blue.
The photos, posted to Williams’ Instagram account, also show him at a formal event wearing a black suit and T-shirt, with what appears to be a white flower tucked in his hair.
Most of the comments on Instagram were positive — with followers writing things like “GQ,” a reference to the men’s fashion magazine, “NAUGHHHHHHTY,” or simply dropping two flame emojis.
However, commenters on X were decidedly more upset by Williams’ painted fingernails, disparaging the second-year quarterback as “gay,” overly feminine, and even suggesting he was transgender and planning to transition, often using homophobic slurs or labels to refer to last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick.
“This guy is going to flame out so badly. He’s supposed to be a leader of men, not a metrosexual pansy,” wrote one user.
“Caleb is so fucking feminine. 100% he is gay. How is a dude with painted nails gonna generate any respect in a alpha male testosterone filled sport like fball. Ur leader of the team cant be a weirdo freak,” wrote a third.
“F**,” wrote a fourth, while a fifth added, “He’s doing it on purpose at this point. Glory hog, he wants to be talked about because he is horrible at ball. He is the Angel Reese of the NFL,” referring to one of the more prominent female professional basketball players in the WNBA.
A few users expressed apathy, and even defended Williams.
“Let people live. We’re all lucky we even have choices atp,” wrote one.
“Nail polish doesn’t define sexuality, let him live,” posted another.
The Times of India noted in its reporting on the controversy that nail polish — or any expression of gender-nonconformity — still sends many football fans into a tizzy.
“The moment a male NFL player does something remotely outside the ‘football guy’ mold, whether it’s wearing pink, painting nails, or dressing like they’ve seen a fashion show, a chunk of the fanbase acts like the league’s collapsing,” the article read.
The paper also noted that younger users, especially those appearing to be part of Generation Z, were more supportive of Williams and less bothered by gender-nonconformity.
The NFL has long had a history of players “peacocking” with their outfits before games or at major events — sporting flashy suits, bright colors, bold jewelry, or designer accessories. In that light, Williams’ painted nails not only follow that tradition, but may even come to be embraced, particularly by younger generations of NFL fans.
Vice President JD Vance has become the most-blocked user on Bluesky, just days after joining the social media platform and attempting to provoke its largely left-leaning user base.
According to ClearSky, a data tracker monitoring Bluesky activity, Vance has been blocked by more than 143,000 users -- the highest total since the app publicly launched in February 2024.
The number of users blocking the vice president’s account easily surpassed the previous record-holder, journalist Jesse Singal -- best known for his disparaging reports on gender-affirming care for trans youth -- who currently sits at 81,531 blocks.
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