Eight years ago, stars avoided Trump’s inauguration. This time it’s different

By LINDSEY BAHR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Carrie Underwood mightiness not beryllium Beyoncé oregon Garth Brooks successful the personage superstar ecosystem. But the singer’s information successful President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration is nevertheless a motion of the changing tides, wherever mainstream entertainers, from Nelly to The Village People are much publically and much enthusiastically associating with the caller administration.

Eight years ago, Trump reportedly struggled to enlist stars to beryllium portion of the swearing-in and the assorted glitzy balls that follow. The concurrent protestation marches astir the federation had much celebrated entertainers than the swearing-in, which stood successful stark opposition to idiosyncratic similar Barack Obama, whose 2nd inaugural ceremonial had performances from Beyoncé, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson and a bid of starry onlookers.

There were ever immoderate personage Trump supporters, similar Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, Jon Voight, Rosanne Barr, Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone and Dennis Rodman, to sanction a few. But Trump’s triumph this clip astir was decisive and portion Hollywood whitethorn ever skew mostly liberal, the slate of names participating successful his inauguration play events has improved.

FILE – Carrie Underwood arrives astatine the People’s Choice Awards, Dec. 6, 2022, successful Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Village People and Lee Greenwood each performed astatine a MAGA benignant rally Sunday. Those performing astatine inaugural balls see the rapper Nelly, state euphony set Rascal Flatts, state vocalist Jason Aldean and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw.

“The radical who are coming retired and participating straight are inactive a tiny subset of the full beingness of what we telephone celebrity,” said Robert Thompson, a prof of popular civilization astatine Syracuse University. “But we’re seeing a batch much celebrities who are coming retired and supporting Trump. There whitethorn not beryllium that chiseled part that we saw before.”

Even immoderate who person publically criticized Trump successful the past look to person changed course. One of the highest-profile examples is the rapper Snoop Dogg, who successful a 2017 euphony video pretended to sprout a Trump lookalike, and past this play performed astatine a pre-Inaugural lawsuit called The Crypto Ball. When a societal media idiosyncratic posted a video of his performance, his sanction rapidly became a trending taxable connected societal media with a just magnitude of disbelief and outrage.

FILE – President Barack Obama bows his caput arsenic Beyoncé sings the nationalist anthem astatine the ceremonial swearing-in astatine the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 21, 2013, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

There whitethorn inactive beryllium a tinge of stigma, however. Thompson pointed to the connection from The Village People, successful which they offered a justification for their involvement, which helium likened to an apologia.

Also, Thompson said, “the thought of being featured successful a large nationalist civic ritual possibly tin transcend governmental identity.”

The information of radical similar Underwood is not going to alteration anyone’s caput astir Trump, Thompson said. It could, however, alteration minds astir the artist. On societal media, immoderate declared they were going to delete Underwood’s songs from their playlists.

Where Trump erstwhile emphasized the otherness of a Hollywood that mostly shunned him, he’s present turned his attraction backmost to the amusement superior arsenic a task to beryllium saved. He named Stallone, Voight and Mel Gibson arsenic his chosen “ambassadors” for the mission. Thompson said it sounds similar an Onion header oregon thing connected “Saturday Night Live.” That, oregon a logline for the latest installment successful the “Expendables” franchise.

FILE – Singer Garth Brooks performs during the 59th Presidential Inauguration astatine the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 20, 2021, successful Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Following the election, personage detractors person besides been quieter than successful 2017, erstwhile nationwide marches brought retired the likes of Cher, Madonna, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys and Janelle Monae. The People’s March successful D.C. connected Saturday did not boast astir immoderate personage participants. At the Golden Globe Awards successful aboriginal January, Trump’s sanction was not mentioned connected signifier -– a stark opposition to 2017, erstwhile Meryl Streep utilized her beingness accomplishment grant code to decry the president-elect earlier his archetypal word began.

“They’ve gone done these processes, and it turned retired that nary of it ever made immoderate spot of difference,” Thompson said. “All of this personage talking against Trump and each of the celebrities going for (Joe) Biden and speaking astir the aboriginal of ideology not lone didn’t marque immoderate quality toward the result of the election, but 1 could reason that it really meant that things moved successful the different direction.”

Anuel AA and Justin Quiles talk earlier President-elect Donald Trump arrives astatine a rally up of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

On Friday nighttime successful D.C., the nonpartisan nonprofit The Creative Coalition brought unneurotic immoderate actors to rise wealth for and observe organizations that enactment subject work members and their families.

“I’m a large instrumentality of things that are nonpartisan, nonpolitical,” said comedian Jeff Ross. “I speech smack for a surviving and I’m a large believer successful escaped speech. The subject protects my right.”

The entertainers stayed mostly focused connected the lawsuit astatine hand, not the incoming administration, though they did explicit interest astir backing for the National Endowment of the Arts.

“The NEA has ever been successful peril, careless of what medication comes in. But it feels similar the incoming medication volition astir apt beryllium much assertive successful cutting down backing for the arts,” said histrion Steven Weber. “They don’t recognize that it’s an indispensable constituent not lone successful our education, but successful the beingness humor of this culture.”

Kid Rock performs earlier President-elect Donald Trump arrives to talk astatine a rally up of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

One Monday lawsuit volition person a spot of personage counterprogramming — the Concert for America, not arsenic protestation but arsenic fundraiser for wildfire alleviation which volition beryllium held simultaneously successful New York and Los Angeles and livestreamed to the world. Participants see Jon Cryer, Lisa Joyner, Conan O’Brien, Julie Bowen, Adam Scott, Wayne Brady and Rosie Perez. In summation to performances and comedy, it volition besides item organizations dedicated to protecting quality rights.

Producers Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson started the lawsuit successful 2017, besides held connected Inauguration Day, to rise wealth for organizations and non-profits they thought would request assistance implicit the adjacent 4 years.

“It’s not lone to springiness radical a telephone to action, but besides to springiness them hope, inspiration and to consciousness connected,” Jackson said.

They didn’t person occupation recruiting entertainers to participate, Jackson said. The lone ones who declined did truthful due to the fact that they were working.

“I don’t spot it arsenic a antagonistic effort,” Rudetsky said. “I spot it arsenic a mode to get escaped of the annoying rhetoric and the hatred that’s based connected nothing. It’s astir unity.”