2024 Democratic National Convention Producers Explain Beyoncé Appearance Rumors
Producers of the 2024 Democratic National Convention are discussing Beyoncé’s anticipated appearance at the political event — which never came to be.
Viral whispers of Queen Bey either speaking or performing in support of Vice President Kamala Harris were fueled by Harris’ use of her rebellious track “Freedom,” social media accounts promising a “surprise” guest, and even “confirmed” reports by TMZ.
Although hopeful Beyhive members and Democratic voters anticipated the 42-year-old would pop out in Chicago, the rumors never came to fruition. In fact, the claim that the global music icon was due at the DNC was nothing more than gossip.
“We never put out anything about Beyoncé. We denied it every time the media asked us — even though, by the way, people on my staff didn’t believe me,” detailed producer Ricky Kirshner to The Hollywood Reporter. “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?”
Producer Glen Weiss continued to clarify, “This is 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 [which first reported it] had to issue an apology.”
Despite the Lemonade singer not attending the 2024 DNC, the political rally still included famous names beyond politicians. Kerry Washington, Lil Jon, Common, Patti Labelle, D.L.Hughlely, John Legend, and more made their way to the stage in support of the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz White House campaign.
According to Nielsen data, an estimated 26.2 million viewers watched the fourth and final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, the most of the four-day affair. This is also coincidentally the night where Beyoncé was rumored to attend.
Still, the event closed with Kamala Harris making a speech as she formally accepted the Democratic nomination. While addressing the audience, viewership surged to its highest, counting an average of 28.9 million viewers in the nearly 40-minute address. Overall, the 2024 DNC averaged 21.8 million viewers, as per Axios.
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