Mean Girls Remake Removes Controversial Lindsay Lohan Joke From Digital Release

Mean Girls lived up to its name when the musical remake of the Lindsay Lohan comedy delivered a controversial joke at the expense of the original star of the franchise. However, those experiencing the movie for the first time with its digital release will not get to hear what all the fuss was about, as the line seems to have been cut from the film.

Based on the Broadway musical, which, in turn, was inspired by the 2004 movie of the same name, the 2024 Mean Girls remake delivered a new take on the story – which included musical elements that many did not expect. With Angourie Rice stepping into the shoes of Cady Heron and Reneé Rapp portraying Regina George, the return of the franchise to the big screen included an unexpected cameo from Lohan, who originally played Cady. However, one joke that made it into the cinematic release did not go down well with the actress and was said to have “hurt” the star.

The joke in question, delivered by Megan Thee Stallion, played on a derogatory nickname given to Lohan back in 2006. Although it was believed that the joke was intended to be a humorous throwback, the moment fell flat with Lohan herself. In the digital release of the movie (as viewed by The Hollywood Reporter), the quip of “Y2K fire crotch is back” has been changed to “Hot girls, we are going back red.” While the intention of the line in the original version is up for interpretation, the reworking of the line has removed any ambiguity of it being anything other than a complimentary statement.

Mean Girls Cultural Reference Was a Step Too Far For Lohan

In changing the digital release of Mean Girls, the message is clear that between the big screen and home video releases of a movie there is scope for changes to be made to the content that makes up streaming, digital and physical media iterations. This is not something new, as movies have created “TV edits” for many years, but this time it seems that the change was purely based on Lohan’s reaction and the online controversy it created.

Tina Fey, who penned the musical’s screenplay, is certainly no stranger to pulling cultural references into her writing, but in this case she apparently went beyond just close to the knuckle and cut a little too deep for the joke to remain in the film beyond its theatrical release. The change has once again proven that sometimes there is a fine line between a humorous homage and an offensive jibe, but it is becoming increasingly easy to wipe out such smudges on a movie’s reputation with the click of a button.

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The removal of problematic segments from new movies could be something that becomes the norm in the future. Many releases of older movies have already seen such incidents of censoring, but this is one of the most prominent removals seemingly based on the online reaction to a film’s content. The change will appease fans of Lohan, who jumped to her defense when Mean Girls was originally released in January, and the precedent it sets will be an interesting one to watch in the future.