On October 3rd, Aaron Samuels asked Cady Heron what day it was — and several Mean Girls fans discovered that contrary to popular misconception, Janis Ian probably did not have a big fat lesbian crush on Regina George or anyone for that matter.

@hxrr.or ac: YuNGFriz Edits | #meangirls #meangirlsedit #janisian #janisianedit #lizzycaplan #edit #fyp ♬ original sound -

Pop culture creator Gabriella Whiting recently headed to TikTok with a revelation surrounding the iconic Y2K coming-of-age-film, explaining that much unlike Ian’s namesake musician, North Shore High’s resident outcast was likely not gay but rather had Middle Eastern heritage, a tidbit revealed in a joke that “we all missed.”

“In the movie, Regina George tells Lindsay Lohan’s character not to talk to Janice Ian because she’s a lesbian,” she explained. “Janis and Regina used to be friends when they were younger but Janis now hates Regina because Regina started this rumor about her that she was a lesbian.”

Beyond serving as a major Mean Girls plot point, incentivizing Ian to enact revenge on her former friend vis-à-vis her new pal Heron, their whole beef appeared to be a massive misunderstanding, one explained in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it joke during her dance with mathlete/rapper extraordinaire Kevin Gnapoor at the Spring Fling dance.

@gabiwhiting Did you catch this joke in Mean Girls?? #learnontiktok #tiktoktaughtme #meangirls #early2000s #lindsaylohan ♬ Revenge Party - Grey Henson & Barrett Wilbert Weed & Erika Henningsen & Original Broadway Cast of Mean Girls

“At the end of the movie though, Kevin G asks Janis ‘Are you Puerto Rican’ and she says ‘I’m Lebanese,’” she recalled of their fateful encounter. “The whole premise of Mean Girls was based on the fact that Regina did not know the difference between Lebanese and Lesbian.”

Lesbian Janis Ian is much like “fetch” this Mean Girls day — as much as we may want it to, it’s probably not going to happen.