Law Roach Shuts Down the Haters

TL;DR

• Law Roach, the “image architect,” is shaking up Project Runway with his unapologetically harsh critiques.
• Viewers are split, with some calling him “mean” while others see him as brutally honest.
• His fashion résumé includes styling Zendaya, Céline Dion, Anne Hathaway, and more.
• Critics point out that if he were white or straight, his commentary would be praised like Simon Cowell’s.
• Roach is redefining how queer voices are seen on reality TV — sharp, unapologetic, and necessary.

Law Roach Isn’t Here to Play Nice

Law Roach didn’t claw his way into fashion’s upper echelon just to whisper “nice try” when someone sends rags down the runway. On this season of Project Runway, the Black queer stylist known as the “image architect” is giving contestants — and the audience — the kind of critique that cuts sharper than a tailor’s shears. And let’s be real: television needs it.

Since joining the judges’ panel, Roach’s commentary has been branded as “mean” and “too harsh” by some viewers. A few Reddit users even whined that his delivery made the season “unenjoyable.” But the pearl-clutching is missing the point. Roach isn’t being rude for sport. He’s a fashion heavyweight who built Zendaya’s red-carpet dominance, styled Céline Dion’s comeback looks, and turned Anne Hathaway, Ariana Grande, and Hunter Schafer into style icons. He knows when clothes flop — and he’s not afraid to say it.

When a recent challenge landed RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Utica in the bottom three, Roach didn’t mince words: “I did not come to work and get this beautiful glam to look at a bunch of fucking ugly clothes. I’m sorry. I am pissed off. I’m mad.” That’s not cruelty — that’s passion. That’s the kind of conviction reality TV has been missing.

The Double Standard of “Harsh” Critics

It’s impossible to ignore the bias here. When Simon Cowell rolled his eyes and told singers they sounded like cats dying, he was crowned the king of television. Gordon Ramsay built an empire screaming at undercooked risotto. Paul Hollywood’s withering stares on The Great British Bake Off are memes. But Law Roach — a flamboyant, queer Black man — is dismissed as “too much.”

If Roach were white or straight, his critiques would be celebrated as iconic one-liners. Instead, his sharp honesty gets coded as aggression. It’s a reminder of how quickly confidence from queer people of color is reframed as hostility, while the same energy from others is called “tough love.”

Roach himself isn’t backing down. When Heidi Klum suggested “hate” was too strong a word, he fired back, “No, it’s not. It’s only four letters.” That’s not meanness — that’s wit. That’s TV gold.

Why We Need Law Roach

Reality competition shows have been plagued by a new disease: indifference. Too many judges opt for bland “I liked it” or “not my favorite” critiques, terrified of getting clipped into viral Twitter discourse. The result? Boring television, coddled contestants, and an audience that forgets what honesty looks like.

Law Roach is the antidote. He’s not afraid to make people uncomfortable — because art should make people uncomfortable. He’s not cruel, he’s critical. And when he praises a look, it means something. That’s the balance of risk and reward that made reality TV so addictive in the first place.

For the LGBTQ community, his presence is more than just spicy entertainment. Roach is showing the world that queer voices — especially Black queer voices — have every right to take up space, critique loudly, and refuse to water themselves down to be palatable. For every young queer person watching, he’s proof that you can be sharp, funny, unapologetic, and still respected for your brilliance.

And in the end, that’s the tea: Law Roach isn’t too mean. Everyone else has just gotten too soft.