Burbank Mayor Apologizes for Response to Drag Queen Spanking Video Backlash

Konstantine Anthony attends the Wonder Woman statue unveiling with DC and Visit Burbank at The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood in Burbank, Calif., on March 15, 2023. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

BURBANK, Calif.—In the first city council meeting since a video surfaced of the Burbank mayor being spanked by a drag queen, Mayor Konstantine Anthony on Sept. 12 apologized for his reaction to ongoing public outcry as local and national blowback over the video continued.

A viral clip was taken during a drag queen bingo night hosted by the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats over the weekend and shared by the WiseNuts podcast and Libs of TikTok.

In the video, Mr. Anthony bends over a table and laughs while a drag queen spanks him. The clip was published on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sept. 10 by Libs of TikTok and had 2.4 million views by Wednesday.

Mr. Anthony, who is also running for Los Angeles County supervisor, brushed off the controversy at Tuesday’s council meeting but later apologized for his “loss of decorum” in his responses to the public in the aftermath of the video going viral.

Although the event was advertised for anyone over the age of 15, Mr. Anthony reiterated on Tuesday only adults attended.

“Over the weekend, I attended a private adults-only event,” he said. “There were some shenanigans and some silly stuff happened. It was all fun and games.”

The mayor also said he was shocked at the public’s reaction to the event, calling Libs of TikTok a “prominent hate group.”

Several citizens criticized the mayor’s behavior, while city councilors condemned his reaction to social media and emails.

According to officials and residents, a recall effort has been launched to remove Mr. Anthony from office.

Resident Ben Sheffield called the behavior “disgraceful.”

“A flood of comments are being made, demanding Mr. Anthony resign from council,” Mr. Sheffield said. “A recall is already underway. Mr. Anthony, you are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the city of Burbank. Shame on you.”

Another speaker at the meeting, Scott Meyers was one of several who agreed.

“You, sir, have set another bad example in a long line of bad examples,” Mr. Meyers said. “The ‘spank seen around the world’ occurred with you bending over at a Democratic fundraiser, swatted by a man in nothing but lipstick and high heels, and a wig. This was unbefitting of a mayor, and you embarrassed your colleagues and everybody in this city, and in Southern California.”

But a few current and former residents spoke in support of the mayor.

“I am saddened by the immature lack of tolerance and behavior of fellow residents of the city of Burbank,” Chris Anderson said.

Councilors, however, encouraged residents who had emailed or called them to look into the recall process, which is the only way to remove a sitting councilor in Burbank.

Mayor of Burbank, Konstantine Anthony, walks a picket line alongside members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild outside Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., on July 14, 2023. Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images

Councilwoman Tamala Takahashi said she didn’t have a problem with the mayor participating in the fundraiser, or how he portrayed himself on social media, but he displayed bad judgment when handling complaints over the video.

“I’m aware of the longstanding pattern of provocativeness and performance that our current mayor exhibits as part of his activism and social media presence,” she said. “However, I do have strong feelings about how our work in the City of Burbank is conducted. To me, a line has been crossed.”

Councilwoman Zizette Mullins said she was disappointed the mayor didn’t apologize and asked for the issue to be put on a future agenda.

“I was hoping to hear an apology for what you put the City of Burbank, staff, and community through,” Ms. Mullins said. “It’s not fun watching our mayor bent over in that situation being televised on FOX News.”

After hearing from four councilors and the public, Mr. Anthony apologized for some of his responses to the public.

“I will say, there was a loss of decorum in my response,” Mr. Anthony said. “I’m not perfect … But I’m having a difficult time of it. I come from a very silly performance background. To me what is goofy and normal to other folks seems inappropriate. I need to learn that line and I need to learn when it is crossed and when to step back.”

The Democratic Socialist mayor’s biography says he is autistic and spent 20 years in improv comedy, appearing in shows and movies. He is a member of The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). He has also served on the Burbank Advisory Council on Disabilities.

In an interview with FOX News Digital Sept. 12, Mr. Anthony talked about his stance on creating a “police-less state” and Karl Marx.

“We are still living in sort of a quasi-20th-Century police state that says if you do something bad, you’ve got to get punished,” he said during the interview.

He also described his support for Karl Marx and Marxism.

“When we think about Marxism as an ideology, and we remove it from its German roots, and we talk about American socialism, it has a very different tone,” Mr. Anthony told FOX News. “It’s a fundamental shift in our understanding of American society.”