TN House Passes HB 0884 — A Fast-Tracked Push to Crack Down on “Pop-Up” Adult Cabaret

On the first day of the 2026 legislative session, the Tennessee House moved quickly on HB 0884, the adult-oriented establishment bill carried by Rep. Chris Todd of Madison County, approving it and pushing it forward for Senate action. According to the House action history, HB 0884 passed the House as amended on 01/13/2026 by a vote of 73–24 and was then engrossed and marked “ready for transmission to Sen.” that same day. The record also reflects that the House adopted Amendment 2 (HA0541) and withdrew Amendment 1 (HA0215) before final passage—an indication the bill was not only on the agenda early, but was prepped to move.

The core of HB 0884 is not a sweeping “culture-war” proclamation—it’s a definitional change in Tennessee Code (Title 7, Chapter 51, Part 14). Specifically, it rewrites the definition of “adult-oriented establishment.” The prior definition focused on a commercial establishment whose principal or predominant stock or trade involved sexually-oriented material or specified sexual activities, typically paired with a claim that admission was restricted to adults. HB 0884 removes the “principal or predominant stock or trade” language and replaces it with a broader structure that defines an adult-oriented establishment as a facility, establishment, business, or service—or a portion thereof—that offers sexually oriented material, devices, or paraphernalia; adult cabaret entertainment; or specified sexual activities, in any form, including live presentations, and that restricts or purports to restrict admission to adults or to any class of adults. In plain English, the bill expands the definition and explicitly adds “adult cabaret entertainment” and “live” performances into the adult-oriented establishment framework, which is exactly why supporters view it as a direct response to the “pop-up” model—events staged in ordinary venues that insist they are not adult businesses because adult content is not their primary line of business.

That framing was contested during the floor session. Rep. McKenzie (D–Knoxville, District 15) argued the bill could unintentionally sweep in mainstream retailers like Walmart or Victoria’s Secret, but that warning skips the bill’s built-in limiter: the definition still hinges on a venue that “restricts or purports to restrict admission to adults” (or to a class of adults). Ordinary retailers do not operate as adults-only venues, and nothing in the text turns everyday retail into an adult-oriented establishment absent an adults-only admission posture. Rep. Justin Jones (D–Nashville, District 52), meanwhile, largely avoided the operative language and instead shifted the argument into broader political messaging—suggesting the bill is a waste because people care more about cost-of-living concerns—while also layering in insinuations about “secret proclivities” as a catalyst for the legislation, comments cheered on by a small group present to protest the bill. Taken together, the objections functioned less as a textual critique of what HB 0884 actually changes and more as deflection: one leaning on a slippery-slope hypothetical that doesn’t square with the admission restriction clause, the other leaning on motive attacks and topic-shifting rather than engaging the mechanics of the statute.

So what are the implications? The bill’s practical purpose is to make it harder for an adult-themed live performance to appear “temporarily” in a non-adult setting and then claim exemption from adult-oriented establishment rules because the venue’s primary business is something else. By including “adult cabaret entertainment” and by applying the definition to a “portion” of a facility, HB 0884 tightens the space for the one-night workaround—especially when event organizers restrict admission to adults, or present the event as adults-only, which is often the feature used to justify the content in the first place. That does not automatically read as a blanket ban on drag performances everywhere, in all contexts. What it does do is reposition certain adult-only live performances inside the regulatory category Tennessee already uses for adult-oriented establishments, which is why supporters argue “pop-up” adult cabaret-style shows could become far more difficult to stage in the way they have been.

TruthWire News reached out to Representative Chris Todd and he provided the following quote:

"My community saw the intent of the law being circumvented by poor interpretation and demanded I do something about it. For decades, Tennessee law has had in place provisions of where adult entertainment can take place and where it cannot. Yesterday we closed a loophole that allowed adult-only shows right beside churches and schools, which any sane person would see as common sense. The radical left screamed and protested because their only interest is self gratification at the expense of our most vulnerable."

Bottom line: HB 0884 passed the Tennessee House overwhelmingly by a 73–24 vote and has now been engrossed and prepared for transmission to the Senate. The next steps are Senate-side: the bill will be formally received, assigned to committee, heard and voted on in committee, and—if advanced—scheduled for a Senate floor vote. If the Senate passes the bill without changes, it will move on for final enactment; if the Senate amends it, it must return to the House for concurrence (or further reconciliation). If you support closing the “pop-up” loophole this bill is aimed at, now is the time to act—contact your Tennessee state senator and urge a YES vote on HB 0884 / SB 1424, and ask Senate leadership to move it through committee and onto the floor without delay.

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