Citing backlash, singer Jennifer Holliday pulls out of Trump inauguration concert
Earlier this week, Broadway legend Jennifer Holliday agreed to perform at a welcome concert for Donald Trump’s inauguration. And then, in droves, her fans begged her not to. Now, she says, she won’t sing after all.
Saturday morning she shared an open letter with the Wrap, addressed to “My beloved LGBT Community,” writing that she has changed her mind and will no longer perform. “Regretfully, I did not take into consideration that my performing for the concert would actually instead be taken as a political act against my own personal beliefs and be mistaken for support of Donald Trump and Mike Pence,” she wrote, according to the site.
As of Friday night, in an interview with the New York Times, Holliday — who originated the role of Effie in Broadway’s “Dreamgirls” — had said she would perform at the concert, “for the people.”
“I don’t have a dog in this fight,” she said. “I’m just a singer, and it’s a welcome concert for the people on the Mall.” Holliday had previously performed for Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and both Presidents Bush. Holliday told the Times she felt that singing on the Mall was, in part, a tribute to Marian Anderson, who “paved the way for me to sing as a black American,”
Her fans didn’t see it that way. They quickly took to Twitter to express their dismay. “#JenniferHolliday singing at Trump’s inauguration is a betrayal of our diverse arts community. Reconsider — it’s not worth selling out!” wrote @katerone.
In her letter, Holliday said that it was after reading an article in the Daily Beast that she changed her mind. In the essay, titled “Jennifer Holliday Will Perform at Trump’s Inauguration, Which is Heartbreaking to Gay Fans,” Kevin Fallon…
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