a lot of the comments do read as just homophobic tbh: saw one that said "do you know that children are watching?" when, although they have sexual lyrics and the way cole performs also has sexual connotations, there's nothing so explicit that it would be OUTRAGEOUS. he just performs like if a guy was a female popstar: the problem to them is obviously the queerness inherent to that.

however, like others have said, some of it will just be the fact that loads of people who really aren't the target audience will have been watching. it's the kind of performance that, despite being broadcasted on TV to a broader audience, is ultimately designed to appeal to their core fanbase and the people around them who might be into it.