Kesha‘s 2010 song “Cannibal” has left a bitter taste in some people’s mouths.
And while she understands why, it was a risk she was willing to take for her art.
So the singer (born Kesha Rose Sebert) didn’t sweat it when “Cannibal” sparked a dance trend on TikTok in 2020, particularly the part where she warbled, “Use your finger to stir my tea / And for dessert I’ll suck your teeth / Be too sweet and you’ll be a gonner / Yeah, I’ll pull a Jeffrey Dahmer.”
Not everyone was charmed by her lyric referencing the serial killer, who dismembered 17 boys and young men between 1978 and 1991 .
“Oh my God, I got re-canceled for the Jeffrey Dahmer lyric,” Kesha told People in an interview published July 3. “It was a controversial lyric.”
But, she added, “If some people aren’t offended by what I’m doing, I’m probably not doing a very good job of being a pop star.”
Dahmer, who was beaten to death in prison in 1994, was eerily in the spotlight again in this century when Ryan Murphy‘s limited series DAHMER—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premiered on Netflix in 2022, starring Evan Peters as the killer.
In response to criticism that the show (which was nominated for six Emmys) exploited Dahmer’s victims, Murphy said during a Q&A panel that his crew “reached out to around 20 of the victims’ families and friends trying to get input, trying to talk to people and not a single person responded to us in that process.”
And Kesha’s mom Pebe Sebert pushed back when the Murphy series prompted a new round of backlash directed at her daughter.
“The whole Jeffrey Dahmer lyric in ‘Cannibal’ is a big controversy right now,” Pebe said in an October 2022 TikTok. “I thought I’d just say a few things about it because that was my line that I wrote in ‘Cannibal.'”
Basically, Kesha and her cowriter were “too young to even know” who Dahmer was, Pebe explained. Enter Mom and the Master Writer for Songwriters computer program.
“We were looking for a rhyme for ‘goner,’ at the very end of the widest rhymes was Jeffrey Dahmer,” Pebe said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s a perfect lyric.'”
Kesha is aware, meanwhile, that not all lyrics age gracefully: She has changed the line from her 2010 smash “Tik Tok” that went “Wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ like P. Diddy” to “Wake up in the morning feeling like, f–k P. Diddy!”
But overall, the 38-year-old has relished the opportunity for TikTokers to interact with her music in new ways.
“I feel like the way people are consuming music is so different than it was, and will probably continue to get even more different,” Kesha told People. “But it’s a beautiful thing to watch a song [such as ‘Your Love Is My Drug] you wrote, God, 15 years ago, and have 7-year-olds now relate to that song.”
Meanwhile, Dahmer’s crimes aren’t the only ones that have provided fodder for grisly TV shows and movies. See more actors who’ve played serial killers onscreen:
Zac Efron as Ted Bundy
Zac Efron portrayed prolific serial killer Ted Bundy in the 2019 film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Just before his execution, which took place in 1989, Bundy confessed to 30 homicides in the ’70s.
Jeremy Renner as Jeffrey Dahmer
2002’s Dahmer featured Jeremy Renner as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who is known for killing and dismembering almost 20 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.
Chad Michael Murray as Ted Bundy
Chad Michael Murray also stepped into Bundy’s murderous shoes for the 2021 film Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman.
Joshua Jackson as Dr. Christopher Duntsch
Joshua Jackson embodied Texan neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch in 2021 Peacock series Dr. Death, inspired by the podcast of the same name.
Ross Lynch as Jeffrey Dahmer
Another Dahmer! In Marc Meyers‘ 2017 film My Friend Dahmer, Ross Lynch portrayed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s high school days.
Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan
For The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Darren Criss left his Glee persona behind as he portrayed serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The performance earned Criss an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award.
Damon Herriman as Charles Manson
Damon Herriman has played infamous cult leader Charles Manson on not one, but two occasions. In Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, Herriman is referred to as “Charlie.” For a 2019 episode of Mindhunter, Herriman played Charles Manson for a scene opposite Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany.
Evan Peters as Charles Manson
In American Horror Story: Cult, the Manson family murders were recreated. For the scene, AHS lead Evan Peters channeled the infamous cult leader, Charles Manson.
Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper
Mindhunter does it again! Cameron Britton gave a bone-chilling portrayal as Ed Kemper on Netflix’s Mindhunter.
John Cusack as Robert Hansen
In 2013’s The Frozen Ground, John Cusack portrayed serial killer Robert Hansen (aka Butcher Baker). After abducting, raping and murdering at least 17 women, he was arrested and convicted in 1983.
Brian Dennehy as John Wayne Gacy
Brian Dennehy played John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer and sex offender who murdered at least 33 young men/boys between 1972 and 1978, in a two-part television special in 1992.
Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos
Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Monster, which came out in 2003, also stars Christina Ricci as a character based on Wuornos’ ex-girlfriend Tyria Moore.
Zach Villa as Richard Ramirez
In season nine of American Horror Story, Zach Villa played real-life serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka Night Stalker). Ramirez terrorized Los Angeles and San Francisco residents between 1984 and 1985. The death row inmate died in prison in 2013.
