AVATAR’S UNCLE IROH STAR FIRES BACK AT CRITICS OF LGBTQ+ AND DISABLED CHARACTERS — AND HIS RESPONSE MAKES IT CLEAR HE HAS NO PATIENCE FOR ONE PARTICULAR COMPLAINT! Avatar has long been celebrated for its richly imagined world and characters who challenge expectations. But discussions surrounding representation have also sparked criticism from some corners of the fandom. Now, the actor behind Uncle Iroh has weighed in on the backlash, defending the inclusion of LGBTQ+ and disabled characters in the franchise. Rather than avoiding the controversy, he has offered a pointed response that challenges the thinking behind those objections — and raises a bigger question about what fans expect from the stories they love.

The animated sequel, which premiered on Paramount+ on October 9, follows Pavi, the next Avatar after Korra, in a world set around 225 years after the events of The Legend of Korra.

Pavi has a prosthetic leg, and the series also features LGBTQ+ representation through Jae and Datu, two male characters who are in a relationship. Although this is the first canonically gay male couple in the Avatar franchise, we’re in 2026, so of course there are haters.

One particularly baffling X post says, “Avatar’s Team. Pavi : disabled. Jae: LGBTQ… This is supposed to be a kids show btw.”

This comment caught the attention of Greg Baldwin, who had the perfect response: “Hi! Second voice of Uncle Iroh here. So sorry LGBTQ and disabled people exist. That must be traumatic for you.”

As well as shutting down the complaint, the voice star said in a follow up tweet, “Also… I can personally attest that ATLA is a multigenerational show.”

Of course, the conversation didn’t end there. A more recent comment falsely claimed, “Nope. There’s no such thing as a gay child. Just delusional adults pushing delusions on children. Stop putting this bulsh*t in children’s shows.”

Baldwin had the perfect response in this case too: a still of Uncle Iroh holding up his middle finger.

It’s also worth pointing out that heterosexual relationships have appeared in children’s cartoons for decades, including Aang and Katara’s romance in Avatar itself.

And there’s research supporting the importance of representation, too. A review published in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal Pediatrics found that positive portrayals of different social groups in children’s media can help challenge stereotypes and reduce prejudice.

So it’s a bit baffling that male characters being in a relationship is suddenly considered inappropriate for children.

This was also reflected in another comment from Baldwin, responding to a tweet that says, “The original Avatar was about bending, balance, the four nations, war, and incredible storytelling. I’m not against LGBTQ+ characters, but inclusivity shouldn’t overshadow the actual plot. You can represent people without making it feel like the main selling point.”

The voice actor replied, “HERE IS WISDOM. ‘I’m not against LGBTQ+ characters but…’ When someone says they’re not against something BUT… They’re against something.”

And for anyone who is using actual slurs in the comments, Baldwin is just copying and pasting the Uncle Iroh meme. Because sometimes that’s the only response required.