Producers of the star-studded Democratic National Convention say that the internet craze is to blame for the hysteria that spun out of control amid reports that Beyoncé was expected to perform.
Celebrities such as Kerry Washington, rapper Common, comedian D.L. Hughley, and several others flocked to Chicago to show their support for Vice President Kamala Harris and her whirlwind campaign at the four-day political extravaganza.
Day after day, onlookers from near and far were blown away by the big personalities who were using their star power to garner voters’ attention ahead of the November election.
Among the A-listers believed to be in alignment with Harris taking over the Oval Office is Beyoncé. When the former California district attorney launched her campaign in July following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race, she did so with the help of the entertainer’s fierce anthem “Freedom.”
At a time when Republican opponent Donald Trump has faced numerous cease-and-desist letters prohibiting him from playing the singer and others’ music, it was widely perceived that Beyoncé had given Harris her endorsement without ever uttering a public word of support or sharing a post that would confirm those suspicions.
So, when whispers of a special guest being lined up to perform on the final day of the convention, fans guessed that it would likely be the 32-time Grammy Award winner.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon confidently shared an Instagram post ahead of the Aug. 22 broadcast saying, “I’m sure you guys have read all the headlines, all the stuff on social media about who’s going to at the DNC. ‘Is it gonna be Beyoncé? Is it gonna be Taylor Swift?’ Here’s what I hear from sources, if it’s going to be anyone, it would be Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and George W. Bush speaking. Those would be the heavy hitters and it could happen. I’m just saying.”
White House Political Director Emmy Ruiz tweeted a bumble bee emoji, sending speculation into overdrive. She would follow up with a tweet soon after apologizing for the post as she explained that her 6-year-old was to blame for the false hope. However, it was TMZ that ran with a purported source’s scoop claiming Beyoncé was scheduled for the conference when they blasted that the singer would be on stage at some point that evening.
Sorry guys my 6 year old took my phone
— Emmy Ruiz (@emmyruiz) August 22, 2024
Lemon was not far behind the outlet, as he said on video, “Beyoncé is confirmed performing at the DNC. Didn’t I tell y’all?” But somehow everyone got it all wrong, and viewers were left miffed when the evening ended with Harris officially accepting her party’s nomination as the presidential candidate.
Producer Ricky Kirshnert told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview, “We never put out anything about Beyoncé. We denied it every time the media asked us.” He said that even other members of his team believed the superstar would be in attendance.
“I kept getting texts from news organizations saying, ‘When is Beyoncé coming out?’ But come on, we have the biggest star, the Democratic nominee for president. Why would we overshadow that?” Kirshnert said.
🚨 LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE: Former CNN Host Don Lemon (@donlemon) LIED to the American people by saying Beyoncé (@Beyonce) was CONFIRMED to perform at the 2024 DNC Convention (@DemConvention) #Dnc #DemConvention #DNCConvention #DNC2024CHICAGO #DonLemon pic.twitter.com/Ef2kzcuuov
— Sir Maejor 🇺🇸 (@SirMaejorATL) August 23, 2024
Co-producer Glenn Weiss said the fake news was a result of “the internet taking on a life of its own and people taking something as fact — literally to the point that people in my booth are saying, ‘Is she coming? You can tell me.’ And I would say, ‘I have no knowledge she’s coming.’ And they would say, ‘No knowledge? So there’s something to know!’ It was pretty crazy. But she wasn’t coming. In the end, even TMZ had to issue an apology.”
In their acknowledgment of the misinformation, TMZ said, “To quote the great Beyoncé: We gotta lay our cards down, down, down … we got this one wrong.” The singer’s longtime publicist Yvette Noel-Schure also debunked the claims. In a released statement, she said, “She was never scheduled to be in Chicago.”
Now, with an explanation behind the mayhem, the “Renaissance” maven’s fans have expressed a range of reactions and theories.
“So THEY started d rumours for ratings, I’m so glad Beyoncè didn’t attend. This is beyond messy, my baby should keep minding her business & stay TF out of politics,” said one person on Instagram.
A second individual stated, “This is actually why Beyonce stays quiet in a lot of situations because they knows her presence will overshadow anything else going on.”
Kamala Harris chose FREEDOM by Beyoncé ft Kendrick Lamar for the first video of her presidential campaign. #KamalaHarris2024 pic.twitter.com/nhiughsjjY
— Beyoncé News (@BeyonceHiveNews) July 22, 2024
And lastly, a third Beyoncé supporter commented, “I’m Beyhive but the main reason I felt like she should’ve is because she did it for a YT woman.” The “YT woman” in question is Hillary Clinton, who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential election. The Destiny’s Child star and her husband, Jay-Z, headlined a concert at a Cleveland rally.
The couple were also prominent fixtures during former President Barack Obama’s two campaigns in 2008 and his reelection in 2012.
Beyoncé was also selected to sing Etta James’ classic rendition of Glenn Miller’s ballad “At Last” when he and Michelle shared their first dance in 2009 and again in 2013 when she performed the national anthem at his second inauguration.
