The makeup artist behind Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula transformation is clapping back at critics.

Backlash ignited as several “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alums slammed “The Little Mermaid” remake for not hiring a queer makeup artist for Ursula, but Melissa McCarthy’s makeup artist, Peter King, is fighting off the criticisms.

While chatting with Insider on Friday, the esteemed Oscar winner called the recent wave of backlash “offensive” and “ridiculous.”

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“Why can’t I do as good a job as a queer makeup artist?” he questioned to the outlet.

“That’s trying to claim it and that’s fine, if that’s what they wanna do, but don’t put people down because they’re not what they want it to be,” King explained on the debacle.

King elaborated that he didn’t understand the backlash, which commenced after a video of McCarthy’s visual transformation went viral on Twitter.

“Yes, I’m very old now, so that’s fine,” he added. “I get that too, but you know, a makeup artist or makeup designer could design makeup. They don’t have to have an attachment to the nature of what they’re doing.”

“This is insulting to Ginger Minj specifically” tweeted one netizen, referencing drag queen Ginger Minj. “Of course they chose an old white man to do this makeup Lmao,” added another social media user.

Ursula was initially modelled after drag icon Divine in the original 1989 Disney film.

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Composer Alan Menken confirmed the inspiration behind Ursula’s dramatic look as inspired by Divine in an April interview with Entertainment Weekly.

McCarthy herself admitted to “100 percent” researching drag queens while rehearsing for the new role.

The 52-year-old actress quipped: “There’s a drag queen that lives in me. I’m always right on the verge of going full-time with her.”

“The Little Mermaid” is currently swimming in theatres.