It’s under a week to incoming US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, but with more celebrities making last minute refusals to perform, the event is shaping up to be a less than a star-studded affair.
Singer Jennifer Holliday is the latest celebrity to withdraw from the ceremony, telling fans she didn’t realise her participation would be viewed as support for the incoming leader.
According to reports, Holliday, best known for her performance in the Broadway hit Dreamgirls, had come under fire from her black, gay and lesbian fans over her decision to perform at the inaugural event.
Posting in an open letter on The Wrap, Holliday said she was sorry for her “lapse of judgement”, and for being uneducated on the issues which surround Trump’s presidency.
Holliday also said that her original decision to perform “would be my simply keeping in my tradition of being a ‘bi-partisan songbird’ having sung for Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush.
The singer apologised for causing heartbreak and dismay to her fans. Photo: Twitter
“I was honestly just thinking that I wanted my voice to be a healing and unifying force for hope through music to help our deeply polarised country…
“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 mistake for support of Donald Trump and Mike Pence.”
The singer said she had changed her mind after reading a story on The Daily Beast about why her involvement was hurtful.
Singer Charlotte Church. Photo: Twitter
Holliday joins a growing list of performers who have declined invitations to perform at the ceremony.
Most recently Welsh classical singer turned pop star Charlotte Church was asked by the transition team to perform at the concert.
She refused, and made it very clear via social media the invitation wasn’t welcome.
The line-up for the event includes two country music acts, a country-rapper, actor Jon Voight – Angelina Jolie’s father – the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Amercia’s Got Talent teen Jackie Evancho and dance company The Rockettes.
