Freedom 250, a company backed by the Donald Trump administration, announced an artists’ lineup for the 250th anniversary of America. Shortly after, artists took to social media to clarify that they are backing out of the event. The withdrawal was attributed to political involvement in the birthday bash.
Many artists drop out of America’s 250th birthday party
The artist lineup for America’s 250th celebration included Morris Day and the Time, Young MC, Martina McBride, and The Commodores. All of them took to social media to announce separately that they had stepped away from the celebration and would not be performing.
Morris Day and The Time shared a gradient graphic that read, “Contrary To Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing At The ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR.” In the caption, he wrote that for him and the band, the event is a no.
Young MC also wrote in his post that he has informed his agents about pulling out from the event, while disclosing that none of the artists were made aware of the political involvement. He said that, though the organizers claimed the event was “nonpartisan,” it’s been learned through SPIN Magazine that it’s a Donald Trump-backed event. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of performing in DC in the future, claiming that he would do an event if it’s not “politically charged.”
McBride also took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a lengthy post. She revealed that she asked multiple questions about the event before signing up and, at the time, was assured that it was a non-partisan event. Therefore, she perceived it as a great opportunity to celebrate all 50 states and bring people together through music. However, after learning that the information provided was “misleading,” she decided to withdraw.
“Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans,” the Commodores shared on X about them backing out.
Originally reported by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
