Anania (internet personality)

Anania
Born
Anania Williams

1999 or 2000 (age 25–26)
EducationEmerson College (BFA)
OccupationsInternet personality and performance artist
Known forHost of the online quiz show Gaydar
Instagram information
Page
Followers388 thousand (1 December 2025)
TikTok information
Page
Years active2020—present
Followers2.4 million (1 December 2025)
Websiteanania00.com

Anania Williams, known as Anania,[1][2] is an internet personality, performance artist, and host of the digital quiz show Gaydar.

Early life and education

Anania grew up in Davenport, Iowa.[3][2] Her difficult childhood included abuse at home and bullying in school. She sang in the choir at her church as well as in show choir at Davenport Central High School.[4] In 2022, Anania completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater with a minor in social justice at Emerson College.[5][6] Anania is genderqueer[7] and trans[8] and uses they/she pronouns.[4]

Career

Anania first posted on TikTok in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][2] Her early content included posts about politics, including the Black Lives Matter protests.[5][2] In her viral "Gen Z as" series,[2] she joked about how Gen Z acts in various careers.[3] She later began posting videos about make up and drag.[4][5] As she posted more about her experience as a trans and genderqueer person, Anania was subjected to online bullying.[4][9] She has stated that the harassment stems from the fact that she does not meet the standard of a "very specific, stereotypical, western, white, skinny type of trans person".[4] In January 2023, Anania tweeted "behind every gay person is a gayer, more evil gay person".[10][11] The tweet went viral and started a trend of users posting their favorite queer villain duos, such as Eve and Villanelle in Killing Eve.[11][12][13] That year she moved to New York.[14]

By the end of 2020, Anania had signed with a talent management company.[15] In July 2021, Anania had about 2 million followers on TikTok;[3][16] by September 2025, she had 2.4 million.[17] Anania was recognized on the 2024 INTO "25 Under 25" list which stated: "As a Black queer influencer and drag artist, they never shy away from the difficult issues facing queer folks — but their sense of humor is top-notch, too."[18]

Gaydar

Mutuals Media, a digital media network,[1] recruited Anania as the host for their new show that aimed to be both funny and educational.[19][6] In July 2024, the network launched Gaydar, a quiz show about queer culture.[20][4][7] Based on guests' answers to questions, Anania attempts to guess whether they are "straight, gay or a homophobe".[4][8] The show's first participants were strangers on the street in New York City,[2] but later episodes have featured public figures such as Reneé Rapp, Lucy Dacus, and Vivian Jenna Wilson.[4] In one episode, Anania asked Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer about her favorite gay bars in Lansing;[7] in another episode, she asked singer Chappell Roan about what music album "made [her] gay".[21][20]

In a Gaydar episode during the 2025 New York City Democratic mayoral primary race, candidate Zohran Mamdani incorrectly guessed the meaning of the acronym "WLW" and was able to name a New York City gay bar.[4][22] Anania concluded he is straight but "one of the good ones" and told her viewers to vote for him.[22][23] By the time the election was held the following month, the video had gone viral, receiving 2.5 million views.[22][24] The episode has been cited in articles about Mamdani's successful use of social media to market his campaign.[22][25][26]

Gaydar is posted to social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube[2][1][20] and has had over 120 million views in less than a year.[20] In June 2025, Lucy Dacus gave Anania the fictional "Women in STEM Award for Advancements in Gaydar Technology" as part of a THEM magazine project.[6] The show was given “Special Recognition” by the GLAAD Media Awards in 2026.[27][28]

Theater

Anania performs in musical theater.[4] In August 2023, she played the role of Lola in a community theater production of Kinky Boots in Chicago.[29][30] One reviewer called her "magnetic".[31] In Fall 2025, she played Heaven in a New York Theater Workshop production of Saturday Church,[32][33] a musical about an outreach program for queer youth. She referred to the show as "queer, Black joy".[4] After seeing her performance, director Sam Pinkleton cast her in his Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.[14]

As a drag artist, she has opened for Chappell Roan and Bob the Drag Queen.[4][2] According to Bob the Drag Queen, she is "the future of drag".[2][34] Anania has referred to herself as "more than a drag queen" and "an actor that does drag".[35]

References

  1. ^ a b c Factora, James (2025-06-02). "The New Reneé Rapp Episode of Gaydar Features Lethal Levels of Theater Kid Energy". Them. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kealey, Kate (2025-03-19). "How TikTok star and Iowan Anania uses comedy to teach viewers about queer issues". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2025-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ^ a b c "How Anania Williams blew up on TikTok and became a Gen Z comedy star". Boston Globe. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2025-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oladipo, Gloria (2025-07-26). "'It's queer, Black joy': the TikTok creator quizzing pop stars and politicians on LGBTQ+ culture". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  5. ^ a b c Segarra, Hannah Yasharoff and Edward (2023-01-14). "Addison Rae was just the first: These TikTokers have their eye on Hollywood, too". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ^ a b c Them (2025-06-05). "Anania Receives Our Women in STEM Award for Advancements in Gaydar Technology". Them. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  7. ^ a b c Keighton (2025-09-26). "Anania Williams made queer trivia viral & now they're getting personal". OUT. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  8. ^ a b McMenamin, Lex (2024-10-08). "I Let A TikTok Star Guess If I Was Gay or Not. Here's What I Learned". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  9. ^ Stack, Liam; Wilson, Michael (2023-06-25). "Dancing, Jubilation, and Worries About L.G.B.T.Q. Rights at Pride March". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-11-30.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ^ "Twitter's favorite "evil gay" pairs are the ultimate problematic relationship goals". Queerty. 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  11. ^ a b Chudy, Emily (2023-01-04). "The viral 'evil gay' meme is the chaotic energy we need for 2023". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 2025-03-19. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  12. ^ Monteil, Abby (2023-01-04). "This Meme Is 100% Correct: "Behind Every Gay Person Is a Gayer, More Evil Gay Person"". Them. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  13. ^ Upadhyaya, Kayla Kumari (2023-02-17). "Rachel Weisz Delivers Horny Horror as Gay Twins in Dead Ringers". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  14. ^ a b O’Neill, Shane (2026-02-09). "No dream is too big for Anania". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  15. ^ "Lots of young people dream of being an influencer. He's really doing it". Boston Globe. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2025-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ^ Williams, Anania (2021-06-14). Curry, Melanie (ed.). "I Feel Safe On TikTok. As a Queer Black Man in Iowa, I Need That". Men's Health. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  17. ^ Hunter, Tatum (2025-09-27). "Jimmy Kimmel had to answer to the FCC. Internet comedians answer to the algorithm". Washington Post.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ^ Higgins, Jonathan P. (2024-06-12). "Anania Williams makes compassion go viral". INTO. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  19. ^ Jones, C. T. (2025-04-30). "They're Funny, They're Viral, and They're Coming for Late Night". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-11-30.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  20. ^ a b c d "Exclusive: Chappell Roan Dishes on Her Dating Dealbreakers and the "Album That Made Her Gay"". Cosmopolitan. 2025-04-18. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  21. ^ Dailey, Hannah (2025-04-18). "Chappell Roan Answers Which 'Album Made You Gay' & Shares Lesbian Dating Advice". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  22. ^ a b c d "How Zohran Mamdani used social media to build a movement". The Washington Post. 2025-06-26. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-12-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ^ Reimer, Alex (2025-06-25). "Powered by gays & theys, Zohran Mamdani's victory party was NYC's hottest Pride bash". Queerty. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  24. ^ gaydar.show (2025-05-16). "Press Secretary Job Insights with Zohran Mamdani". TikTok. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  25. ^ Jones, C. T. (2025-06-21). "How the Zohran Mamdani Campaign Is Changing Influencer Culture". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-12-02.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  26. ^ "How Social Media Videos Fueled Zohran Mamdani's Success". New York Times. 2025-06-29. Retrieved 2025-12-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  27. ^ Gardner, Chris (2026-01-07). "GLAAD Media Awards: 'Heated Rivalry,' 'I Love L.A.,' 'Stranger Things' and The Hollywood Reporter Score Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  28. ^ GLAAD (2026-01-07). "The Nominees for the 37th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Are… | GLAAD". Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  29. ^ Cristi, A. A. (2023-05-22). "Highland Park Players Announces Cast And Production Team For KINKY BOOTS". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  30. ^ "Highland Park Players walk 'Kinky Boots' to Wilmette stage". Chicago Tribune. 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2025-12-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  31. ^ Doubek, Alli (2023-08-20). "Highland Park Players' 'Kinky Boots' Has A Lot Of Heart". Entertaining Chicago. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  32. ^ Samuel, Brittani (2025-09-20). "'Saturday Church' Review: Saving Fabulous Souls to Sia's Music". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-12-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  33. ^ Fassler, Ron (2025-09-19). "This "Saturday Church" is Worth Attending". Theater Pizzazz. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  34. ^ Bob the Drag Queen (2023-09-28). "#stitch with @anania". TikTok. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  35. ^ Grant, Olivia (2025-12-18). "Anania makes a delightful mess of the holidays". The Bay State Banner.
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