DNC Producers Accused of Misleading Media Over Reports of Beyoncé’s Alleged Performance to Support Kamala Harris

Producers of the star-studded Democratic National Convention say Internet frenzy is to blame for the hysteria that spiraled out of control following reports of Beyoncé’s expected performance.

Celebrities like Kerry Washington, rapper Common, comedian DL Hughley and more descended on Chicago to show their support for Vice President Kamala Harris and her lightning-fast campaign in the course of the four-day political spectacle.

Day after day, observers from near and much were impressed by big personalities who used their popularity to attract voters’ attention ahead of the November election.

Among the celebrities believed to be backing Harris’ takeover of the Oval Office is Beyoncé. When the previous California district attorney launched her campaign in July following President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, she did so with the singer’s fierce anthem “Freedom.”

At a time when Republican opponent Donald Trump received quite a few stop and desist letters demanding that he stop performing songs by the singer and others, Beyoncé was widely believed to have endorsed Harris without ever publicly saying a word of support or sharing a post that may confirm those suspicions.

So when rumors began circulating a few special guest who would perform on the ultimate day of the convention, fans assumed it might 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’ve read all the headlines, all the stuff on social media about who’s going to be at the DNC. ‘Is it going to be Beyoncé? Is it going to be Taylor Swift?’ This is what I’m hearing from sources: If it was going to be anyone, it would be Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and George W. Bush. Those would be the biggest players and it could happen. I’m just saying.”

White House political director Emma Ruiz tweeted a bumblebee emoji, sending speculation into overdrive. Shortly after apologizing for the post, she tweeted a tweet explaining that her 6-year-old was to blame for the false hope. However, it was TMZ that reportedly reported a source claiming that Beyoncé was scheduled to appear on the conference, after criticizing that the singer would seem on stage in some unspecified time in the future that evening.

Lemon wasn’t far behind, as he said in a video, “Beyoncé is confirmed to perform at the DNC. Didn’t I tell you?” But one way or the other everyone got it improper, and viewers were furious when the night ended with Harris officially accepting her party’s nomination for president.

Producer Ricky Kirshnert said Hollywood Reporter in a brand new interview: “We never released anything about Beyoncé. We denied it every time the media asked us about it.” He said that even other members of his team believed the superstar could be in attendance.

“I kept getting text messages from news organizations saying, ‘When is Beyoncé going to come out?’ But come on, we have the biggest star, the Democratic presidential candidate. Why would we want to outshine her?” Kirshnert said.

Co-producer Glenn Weiss said the fake news was the result of “the Internet taking on a life of its own, and people taking something as fact — literally to the point where people in my booth were like, ‘Is she coming? You can tell me.’ And I was like, ‘I have no idea she’s coming.’ And they were like, ‘I have no idea? So there’s something you need to know!’ It was pretty crazy. But she didn’t come. Even TMZ had to apologize in the end.”

Admitting to disinformation, TMZ she said, “To quote the great Beyoncé: We have to lay down the cards, lay down the cards, lay down the cards… in this case, we made a mistake.” The singer’s longtime spokeswoman, Yvette Noel-Schure, also refuted the claims. In a press release, she said, “She was never supposed to be in Chicago.”

Now that fans of the Renaissance legend have learned the reason for the confusion, they’ve expressed a number of reactions and theories.

“So THEY started gossiping about the ratings, I’m so happy Beyoncè didn’t come. This is beyond messy, my little one should mind her own business and stay out of politics” he said one person on Instagram.

A second person said: “This is why Beyonce is silent in many situations because she knows her presence will overshadow everything else that is going on.”

Finally, a 3rd Beyoncé supporter commented, “I’m a Beyhive but the main reason I felt like she should do this is because she did it for the YT woman.” The “YT woman” in query is Hillary Clinton, who ran against Trump within the 2016 presidential election. The Destiny’s Child star and her husband, Jay-Z, headlined the rally in Cleveland.

The couple also played vital roles during Barack Obama’s two presidential campaigns in 2008 and his re-election in 2012.

Beyoncé was also chosen to sing Etta James’ rendition of the classic Glenn Miller ballad “At Last” when he and Michelle first danced in 2009, and again in 2013 when she performed the national anthem at his second inauguration.