The Beyhive was buzzing in Chicago in August with rumors that Beyoncé would be gracing the stage to celebrate Kamala Harris accepting the presidential nomination on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention. Reporters went so far as to claim the Grammy winner was in the United Center, when, in reality, her spokesperson said she was never scheduled to attend.
It seemed like political malpractice at the time because the will she-won’t she overshadowed Harris’ big night, and yet the Harris-Walz campaign once again let down a bevy of Queen Bey fans in Houston over the weekend.
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Andrew Walworth of RealClearPolitics to discuss the problem with Beyoncé’s brief appearance at Harris’ rally.
Best Thing They Never Had
The vice president was in the Lone Star State on Friday for a rally in Houston where Beyoncé was confirmed to be a featured guest. Reports throughout the week indicated the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer would be performing for the packed crowd of 30,000 in her hometown, as she did at a Hillary Clinton event in the closing days of the 2016 election.
But such a performance never came for those who waited hours for a seat inside Shell Energy Stadium. Instead, Beyoncé delivered a four-minute speech before introducing Harris and exiting the stage (no word on whether it was to the left, to the left).
The 43 year old was joined onstage by her Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland and said during her brief remarks that she was appearing not as a “celebrity” or as a “politician” but rather “as a mother.”
She used her short time to focus on women’s issues. “I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided,” she said. “Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations.”
She also implored those listening to cast their ballots before welcoming Harris on stage. “We must vote, and we need you,” Beyoncé urged. “Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, loud, Texas welcome to the next president of the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Beautiful Liars?
Beyoncè did not belt out a rendition of her 2016 hit “Freedom,” which has become the Harris-Walz campaign anthem, as expected, but fellow Texan Willie Nelson did perform. And while Walworth joked that he was happy to hear from the nonagenarian, the internet was overwhelmingly disappointed with what was deemed a “bait and switch.”
“We were told that Beyoncè was going to perform at a Kamala Harris rally in Houston, Texas; some huge number of people showed up; Beyoncè came out to the stage and said four minutes of words and left,” Megyn explained. “There was no performance, but they did get a performance from the 91-year-old Willie Nelson, which I believe we call a bait and switch and we also call bad politics.”
Walworth was inclined to agree. “I think it was a big mistake and an odd one,” he admitted. “They have all of Hollywood behind them – they’ve got the best comedians, the best writers in the world working for Kamala Harris right now, and she doesn’t seem to be able to perform at the level you would think.”
Case in point: Her awkward video appearance at the annual Al Smith Dinner that she chose not to attend in person earlier this month. “I’m thinking back to the Al Smith Dinner, which is terrible,” Walworth noted. “This was the same thing. Whoever said, ‘Let’s have Beyoncè come up and talk for three-and-a-half minutes and leave’… it’s political malpractice.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with the RealClearPolitics guys by tuning in to episode 928 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.