Beyoncé was never intended to be the special musical guest at the Democratic National Convention, they now say, as she gave millions of fans dreams that ultimately didn’t come true.
Following the massive disappointment of an army of fans, a rep for Beyoncé claimed she was “never scheduled to be there,” according to The Hollywood Reporter’s August 22 exclusive. Addressing a previous buzzworthy report put forth by TMZ that stated Beyoncé would close out the Chicago event on Thursday, August 22, the rep also said, “Reports of the performance are untrue.”
Beyoncé’s publicist responds
In addition to her rep shutting down the wild rumors in a statement to THR, her publicist Yvette Noel-Schur also denounced the old claims on her social media. On her Instagram, she posted a photo of herself watching CNN on TV: “At home watching and waiting for the Vice President’s historic speech. Focus on winning and registering to vote. Don’t report rumors. Focus (American flag emoji).”
Read this also | Taylor Swift is ‘ready to be a mom’; worried about ‘having a baby’ with Kelsea before she turns 15…
TMZ issues statement after Beyoncé rumors are proven fake
Meanwhile, TMZ did its best to douse the fire that had erupted earlier by quoting Beyoncé. Not only did the outlet feature the message on their website, but the outlet also posted her words on their social media to calm the agitated crowd. But it didn’t work.
“In the words of the great Beyoncé: we need to put our cards down, down, down … we got this wrong.”
An endless stream of tearful, angry, and sad GIFs flowed into the comments on X (formerly Twitter).
Once media outlets fueled the rumors, social media went ablaze, with Queen Bey expected to appear at this year’s DNC in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid. Although the ‘Single Ladies’ hitmaker previously allowed the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign to use her 2016 track, “Freedom,” as an anthem for the first black female presidential candidate, mention of her appearance at the event was nothing more than mere speculation.
Beyoncé’s absence from the United Center Arena on Thursday sparked online rumors and was met with dismay. However, she was still there, with her “Lemonade” album track being played to welcome Harris to the stage as she officially accepted the party’s nomination on the final day of the DNC.
The Internet Reacts to Beyoncé’s Absence at the DNC
One user wrote, “Omggggg…😭😭 The first step is to admit you were wrong! The next step is to make up for the emotional, physical and mental pain you caused to us.”
Read this also | Coldplay’s Chris Martin wins Swifties’ hearts with ‘sweetest’ love story after Taylor Swift’s Vienna terror threat
Someone else linked a video of a man initially being kicked out of an establishment, and added, “TMZ intern who tweeted the Beyoncé news is trying to break into the LA office tomorrow.”
A third person commented, “You were lied to, just like the rest of America was lied to for four days.” Others speculated if the rumors were a pre-planned stunt, done “on purpose… so people would tune in to watch the DNC.”
Elsewhere on the platform, one angry user fumed, “Beyoncé should sue the DNC for defamation for lying about her performance just to get views.” Someone else added, “I expect similar chaos. It’s amazing how much power these celebrity presences have to grab people’s attention.”
Contrary to the outlet’s most recent report, which said Queen Bey “is in Chicago, getting ready for Kamala Harris’ final night,” it said otherwise in an article in early August.
Some other sources with direct knowledge of the Harris-Walz campaign’s decision regarding the D.N.C. demonstrations boldly claimed that they were trying to restrict their celebrity participation so the whole event wouldn’t seem like a giant Hollywood celebration.
Despite it all, the DNC managed to enlist some significant celebrity power to put on a great show. On the third night — Wednesday, Aug. 21 — John Legend and Sheila E sang rock and roll icon Prince’s song, “Let’s Go Crazy.” Pink headlined the final day’s event on Thursday with her daughter Willow.
Tony Goldwyn, Ana Navarro, Mindy Kaling and Kerry Washington hosted the 2024 DNC. The four-day convention also welcomed stars like Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle, and Oprah Winfrey and many others made surprise appearances.
