Jackie Evancho and the Rockettes have been confirmed as performers at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, but several celebrities have turned down similar opportunities.
Confirmed: Jackie Evancho
But first, let’s go over those confirmed to perform.
The former America’s Got Talent contestant will lend her classically trained pipes on the day of the inauguration. Despite Evancho’s alleged liberal leanings, especially in her LGBTQ views, she has stated that she is performing for the country, not just for Trump.
Confirmed: 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down confirmed they were performing at the “Make America Great Again!” Welcome Celebration on their Facebook page on Jan. 13.
Confirmed: Toby Keith
The country music star is confirmed to be performing at the “Make America Great Again!” Welcome Celebration. Keith told Entertainment Weekly that he doesn’t “apologize for playing for our country or our military” and appears more ready than ever to make this a memorable inauguration.
Confirmed: Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Despite one choir member dropping out, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform alongside Jackie Evancho at the inauguration.
Jennifer Holliday
And now the list of those who turned Trump down.
After one day of wondering whether or not she would actually perform, Jennifer Holliday wrote a letter officially withdrawing from the inauguration. Among her reasons for dropping out, Holliday didn’t want to do a disservice to the LGBTQ community.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry was among the top choices for the inauguration festivities, and why not? She’s a crowd-pleasing performer of the highest order. Reports that Perry was offered insane amounts of money and privileges in exchange for an inauguration performance surfaced in late December. Naturally, the Clinton-supporting celeb said no.
Aretha Franklin
Franklin has inauguration experience (she performed at Obama’s 2009 inauguration). Franklin was reportedly on the Trump inauguration team’s list and was approached to perform. She declined.
B Street Band
This is slightly inauguration-adjacent, but hey, let’s roll with it. So, the premiere Bruce Springsteen cover band, The B Street Band, was set to perform at the Garden State Inaugural Gala. Recently, The B Street Band dropped out, stating that it would be “disrespectful… to Bruce, to music, and to his band.” Rough stuff.
Garth Brooks
Surprisingly, some of Trump’s biggest supporters are turning him down. Garth Brooks previously said that he’d be interested in performing at the 2017 inauguration, but has since changed his mind.
Andrea Bocelli
Like Brooks, Andrea Bocelli was initially amenable to the idea of performing at Trump’s inauguration. He worried about backlash, however, and ultimately decided to back out.
David Foster
Like Bocelli, David Foster wants to stay away from any Trump-related drama. According to the Washington Post, he is close friends with several Clinton supporters, and thus nervous about the idea of appearing at Trump’s inauguration.
Celine Dion
Celine Dion will not be singing at the big inauguration, but that’s not necessarily because she’s anti-Trump. Insiders tell TMZ that she simply couldn’t be there because of her Vegas residency.
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is all in favor of Donald Trump as president, but that doesn’t mean he’s backing up his political beliefs with an inauguration performance. He claims that KISS will be touring Europe at that time, but his family may also have some sway in this situation; in an interview with TMZ, his wife seemed super against the idea of him performing at any Trump event.
Elton John
For a few days, it looked like a major LGBT advocate would appear at Trump’s inauguration. Anthony Scaramucci told the BBC that Elton John would perform, but a few days later, John’s spokesperson denied this claim.
Bruno Mars
Campaign-manager-turned-top-aide Kellyanne Conway is well aware that celebrities don’t want to be seen at Trump’s inauguration. She joked about the situation on Fox & Friends, asking Bruno Mars to give her a call. No response yet from Mars, so the assumption is that he has no desire to perform at this particular event.
Justin Timberlake
Mars isn’t the only one Conway would love to show up at Trump’s inauguration. She also appealed to Justin Timberlake, who is clearly not eager to go along with that particular request.
Rebecca Ferguson
Rebecca Ferguson technically agreed to perform at Trump’s inauguration, but on one condition: She is only willing to sing “Strange Fruit,” an anti-racism anthem with powerful imagery. Ferguson refers to “Strange Fruit” as a song “that speaks to all the disregarded and downtrodden black people in the United States.” Trump’s camp is not likely to grant this request, so Ferguson’s offer is essentially a refusal to sing at the inauguration. However, if Trump does agree to have Ferguson sing “Strange Fruit,” he will provide a powerful message about his administration’s stance on race relations.
Leave a Comment