Earlier this week, we reported that rapper Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce were spotted sitting down while Demi Lovato sang the national anthem before the Super Bowl. Now, Jay-Z is speaking out to try and explain why they were sitting, and he’s claiming they were not trying to make a political statement.
Jay-Z visited Columbia University yesterday for a Q&A session, and TMZ obtained footage of him being asked if he was trying to send a message by sitting during the anthem.
“It actually wasn’t,” he said bluntly. “Sorry.”
Jay-Z went on to say that he was so focused on taking in the show, which he had helped to put together, that he had simply forgotten to stand. He added that Beyonce also forgot to stand because she was focused on what Lovato must be thinking, explaining that his wife had “performed at the Super Bowl before, and I haven’t.”
RELATED: Nancy Pelosi RIPS Donald Trump’s Speech in Half After His SOTU Speech
The rapper also said that there wasn’t a need for a “silent protest,” which is what many people thought he was doing, because he had already made “the biggest loudest protest of all” by putting together such a diverse group of entertainers for the Super Bowl. This group included Lovato, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Yolanda Adams, who sang “America The Beautiful.”
Jay-Z can try to justify his actions all he wants to, but there’s really no excuse for sitting during the national anthem. He could have taken in the show just as easily standing up, and he would not have been disrespecting the American flag and those who have fought and died for it.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.