Why Everyone Thought Beyoncé Would Perform at the DNC? We Bust the Common Rumor

On Thursday evening, social media was furious when TMZ announced that the queen herself, Beyoncé, will close out the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago with a performance.

The report, which claimed Beyoncé would seem before Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech, was quickly picked up by other media outlets and the BeyHive, leaving fans eagerly awaiting her arrival. Hours earlier, NBC Chicago reported that White House Political Director Emmy Ruiz suggested Beyoncé’s performance by tweeting a straightforward bee emoji with no context.

Ultimately, Queen Bey didn’t show up. Longtime spokeswoman Yvette Noel-Schure shut down the reports in an announcement to Hollywood Reporter shortly before Harris took the stage.

“Beyoncé was never supposed to be there,” Noel-Schure said. “The report of her performing is false.”

Noel-Schure doubled her bet Instagramby posting a screenshot of the DNC broadcast with the caption: “Watching at home and anticipating the Vice President’s historic speech. Focus on winning and register to vote. Don’t report rumors. FOCUS.”

So where did the rumors come from? Fans began speculating last month when Harris’ campaign received permission to make use of “Freedom,” Beyoncé’s 2016 single. The song has since turn out to be a signature tune for the Harris-Walz campaign, and Harris stepped out to it in Wilmington, Delaware, during her first official appearance as a presidential candidate. “Freedom” also appeared in a brand new campaign ad that helped kick off the convention, and the song played as Harris finished her speech and left the stage.

The Beyoncé rumors gained momentum on Thursday afternoon when @Angry_StafferAn anonymous verified X (Twitter) account with 603,000 followers tweeted that a “big surprise” was on the way. “I’m sworn to secrecy, but you don’t want to miss the DNC tonight,” the account wrote in a now-deleted tweet, in accordance with New York Daily News“If you thought Oprah’s surprise was big, just wait.”

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The tweet was wildly popular, resulting in speculation, rumors, and unconfirmed reports. Other verified accounts with blue checkmarks, now available for purchase from Elon Musk, tweeted about “gap in today’s DNC schedule” for a “special guest.” Hours later, TMZ published its own report confirming Beyonce’s alleged appearance.

Late Thursday evening, the @Angry_Staffer account admitted to participating in the rumors and apologized to fans for the confusion.

“Re: special guest rumor – not sure where it started, but the people who told me aren’t prone to exaggeration. FWIW, the rumor was Beyoncé. I feel a little better that Rueters, TMZ, The Hill and other outlets reported it too, but either way – sorry” – report he tweeted.

“I don’t like to give bad news and this is my fault. Mea culpa. Even people at the DNC heard Beyoncé was in the building, so whoever started the rumor got a load of us,” the tweet read. “Maybe it was a DNC campaign stunt, but I don’t think so – either way, they had a hell of a lineup and it was a fantastic performance.”

Beyoncé has not yet commented on the reports personally.