a tiktoker says the crumbl cookie co-founder got him cut from grindr's halloween party. the co-founder showed up in his comments.
Photo: Crumbl cookies, for illustration. Missvain, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two men who say they have never met are fighting about a Halloween party, and one of them is the reason the other came out.
The party is Grindr's Pleasure Ball, a costume contest in New York that the app hopes will become "the gay rival to the Met Gala," chief marketing officer Tristan Pineiro told Adweek. This is its third year, it was Thursday night, and Absolut is a sponsor. The men are Grant Gibbs, a TikTok creator, and Sawyer Hemsley, co-founder of Crumbl Cookies.
what grant gibbs says happened
In a video posted this week, Gibbs said he was dropped from the list, Out and Attitude both report. "I was specifically asked to be taken off the list, allegedly," he said, "because Sawyer Hemsley was invited. Sawyer Hemsley, who, in my opinion, does nothing for this community."
He made his case to the app directly. "Grindr, I have worked with this brand since 2022. I have mentioned y'all all the time. You have been in our music video. I have literally been to every single Pleasure Ball for two years." And then to Hemsley: "Look, I don't even know this man, nor do I give a fuck about this man. Sawyer Hemsley, let's talk."
Note the word "allegedly." He put it there himself, which is more legal caution than most TikTok call-outs manage.
why these two
Last August, Gibbs posted a video speculating that Hemsley was gay. Later that month Hemsley came out on Instagram, Out notes. So this is less a feud than a sequel, and the sequel's premise is that the man who got speculated about now has enough pull at a dating app to edit a party list. Hemsley stepped back from his day-to-day role as Crumbl's chief brand officer in April, both outlets report, and remains on the board.
what hemsley said back
He answered in Gibbs's comments, which is where all modern diplomacy happens. "Hey Grant, we've never met, but someone sent me your post and I wanted to reach out directly," he wrote, per Out and Attitude. "Neither I nor anyone on my team ever asked Grindr to remove you from any guest list, and I've never discussed you or this event with anyone there, so I'm honestly not sure where that came from."
Then the gracious bit: "I'll admit the TikTok situation was hard for me at the time, but I've moved forward and hold no ill will. I hope this gets sorted out, and I wish you all the best."
The only party that knows who is on the list is Grindr, and Grindr is not saying. Out asked and had no response by publication. So we have a claim with "allegedly" in it, a denial with a wish-you-well in it, and a guest list nobody will show us. Somewhere in Manhattan, a door person knows everything.
