Carrie Underwood, 41, was set to perform America the Beautiful at Donald Trump’s inauguration party to be met with technical difficulties that made her sing a cappella.
Internet personality Evan Ross Katz posted on Instagram a photo of Kamala Harris watching Underwood, with a caption throwing shade at Underwood. Among the people who liked the post was Kamala-endorsing Ariana Grande, which sparked controversy online.
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Underwood faced some backlash
When people learned that country singer and 2005 American Idol winner would be performing at the inauguration, the singer faced some backlash.
She tried to justify her actions, saying: “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event.”
Technical issues became her worst enemy
Underwood was supposed to sing the song with the Armed Forces Chorus. However, when the performance was supposed to start, a 30-second silence ensued.
The music started playing to be cut off again, without Underwood getting the chance to sing.
It kept getting worse
There was a minute of awkwardness and total silence, until the country singer decided to sing a cappella, telling the crowd: “If you know the words, help me out here.” However, many were bummed out and far from amused by the performance.
Grande sleekly liked a post
Grande, 31, liked an Instagram post by Katz criticizing Underwood’s performance. Grande endorsed Harris during the elections and when its results came out, she posted a story in support of her followers, saying: “Holding the hand of every person who is feeling the immeasurable heaviness of this outcome today.”
The post threw shade on Underwood
Katz’s post had Underwood singing, with Harris standing behind her. The post’s caption said: “Kamala Harris evoking Coco Montrese (‘Girl, find the note’) watching Carrie Underwood at today’s chilling Inauguration,” throwing in a RuPaul’s Drag Race reference.
The internet reacts
Internet users were sharp enough to catch Grande liking the post, with one of them saying on X (formerly Twitter): “She’s not afraid to throw some shade when it feels deserved.” Another added: “She’s always on the right side of history.”
Underwood’s fans had her back
“I thought she did a good job, though. There was no music and she didn’t know what was going on. I could have never sung like that!” One fan wrote.
Another commenter agreed, saying: “There was a technical problem with the music, so she had to sing a capella. She didn’t do a bad job considering.”
They also defended her performance at the inauguration
Underwood felt “humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future,” and many people defended that, including Country singer Lee Greenwood, who also performed at the inauguration.
Greenwood spoke
“I pity those people that think they have to reach out to a star like her and run some negativity past her when all you have to do is say, ‘Thank you for performing for our next president,’” he told The New York Post.
Before her performance, Underwood’s political stance was unknown.
Grande was a full Harris supporter
The Wicked superstar voted for Harris during the 2024 presidential elections. She voted through Florida’s early voting program in October 2024, posting an Instagram story played to Beyonce’s song Freedom with a sticker that read “Your vote matters.”
