Following a day of anticipation for a “special guest” at the DNC, fans ended up disappointed in the convention’s actual guest list.
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
It all started when different “sources” across social media started rumors of a special, surprise guest set to take the stage at the final night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Aug. 23. That rumor quickly developed into rumblings of a live Beyoncé performance, with multiple people posting clips of a soundcheck featuring her music.
Then, TMZ reported that Queen Bey was, in fact, performing, saying that multiple sources confirmed she “will be the big surprise performer as VP Harris officially accepts the Democratic party’s nomination to run for president.”
“As you’d expect, Beyoncé’s appearance is a huge deal, not only for Harris and the Party but in Chicago as well. We’re told Chicago PD is on high alert as it’s involved in security for Beyoncé at the United Center arena,” the report continued.
Not only that, the White House Political Director also tweeted a bee emoji, further driving suspicions of an appearance…even though she did tease, “Sorry guys my 6 year old took my phone” immediately after.
Beyoncé fans immediately started freaking out and turned their TVs to the DNC, waiting for the moment Cowboy Carter took the stage for her first televised performance in years. But, shortly before the convention began, another, conflicting report insisted Bey would not be in the building.
A representative for Beyoncé told the Hollywood Reporter on Thursday night that the singer would not attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
“Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there,” Bey’s rep Yvette Noele Schure revealed to the outlet. “The report of a performance is untrue.”
She then followed up on Instagram with a post showing her watching the DNC at home.
“Do not report rumors. FOCUS,” wrote Schure.
Still, fans waited to see which report was true, still remembering all of the DNC attendees in Chicago who posted about soundchecks and other Easter eggs. But, ultimately, there was no Beyoncé.
At 9:30 PM PT, 5 hours after their original report, TMZ admitted that their reports were inaccurate, writing: “To quote the great Beyoncé: We gotta lay our cards down, down, down … we got this one wrong.”
So, was Beyoncé ever supposed to perform at the DNC? And, if not, who was the special guest after all?