Imagine your biggest high school moment going viral, for better and for worse. That’s exactly what happened to Zachary Willmore. Back in 2021, a video of him being crowned homecoming queen at Rock Bridge High School—while rocking a stunning gold gown—catapulted him into the national spotlight. As Missouri’s first male homecoming queen, Zachary became an instant icon for some and a target for others. But for him, in that moment, it was just a dream come true on his own football field.
Instead of fading from view, Zachary leaned into the attention, building a massive TikTok presence that now boasts over 2.3 million followers. His feed is a mix of everyday content and powerful advocacy, showing his followers his life and his takes on everything from fashion to politics. He turned a wave of online controversy into a thriving community, proving he was more than just a headline.
Now, four years later, the story has resurfaced, and Zachary has some thoughts. He’s calling out what he sees as “rage-bait” in the way some media outlets are covering his past win. He notices how headlines stress “a man” being queen, framing it in a way he believes is designed to spark outrage clicks rather than tell a genuine story. He sees it as an intentional misunderstanding of a simple event.
@zachwillmore So glad that keeps getting brought up☺️ #crying #straighteninghair #hair #curls #natural
He sets the record straight on a major point of criticism: that he stole the title from a girl. The reality was that his school crowned one winner, period. That person, regardless of gender, could pick whether they wanted to be called king or queen. Zachary chose queen. It was a vote-based decision, and his peers chose him. The backlash, however, was severe. His crowning video was mass-reported off TikTok, and he faced terrifying real-world consequences like death threats.
Through all the noise, Zachary’s takeaway is one of strength and pride. The experience, as tough as it was at times, made him a tougher person. He looks back on that crowning moment not with regret, but with excitement. He never expected to win, and the fact that he did, making history in the process, is a memory he holds dear. It’s a story about a high school student who dared to be himself, and in doing so, found a strength he never knew he had.
