Americans who were closely watching night four of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) had a number of reasons for doing so–some wanted to stay informed ahead of the upcoming election, and others expected to see Taylor Swift or Beyoncé appear onstage as the surprise guest.
Those tuning in for the latter were left feeling a certain way after Vice President Kamala Harris wrapped up her speech and accepted the bid without any unannounced performances by either of the two pop superstars.
Speculation about Beyoncé’s performance was strong by mid-week after Harris adopted the Cowboy Carter artist’s “Freedom” as her campaign rally’s go-to walk-out song.
On the other hand, Swifties thought it was rather suspicious that the “Fortnight” songstress’ London Eras Tour wrapped up with enough time for her to get to the United Center in Chicago without being jet-lagged—and then there was that whole “Easter egg” debacle with what Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, wore to the Chiefs final 2024 preseason game on Aug. 22, which kicked off around the same time as the DNC.
Related: Fans Suspect Taylor Swift Just Subtly Addressed Donald Trump’s AI Image Scandal in New Statement
Hours into Thursday’s event, TMZ reported on intel from “multiple sources” suggesting Queen Bey was in the city and ready to take the stage. But, to the publication’s and fans’ dismay, the information was false. The Hollywood Reporter later confirmed with a rep for the “Formation” singer that she was “never scheduled” to perform at the event.
The update was a rough blow for anyone glued to their screen waiting for a surprise set.
“Me after posting the TMZ article in all my group chats……………….” one X (formerly Twitter) user joked alongside a screenshot of a famous Ja Rule tweet, which read: “I too was hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hood winked, lead astray!!!”
Me after posting the TMZ article in all my group chats………………. pic.twitter.com/vB8ixBmsVT
— Priyanka Aribindi (@priaribi) August 23, 2024
“‘So I started a rumor about a special guest,'” a second joked alongside a photo of Harris and her husband of 10 years, Douglas Emhoff.
“So I started a rumor about a special guest” pic.twitter.com/Mnz1miyD8p
— Matt Margolis (@ItsMattsLaw) August 23, 2024
“If you are the friend people text about politics AND the friend people text about pop culture — I see you. I hear you,” someone else quipped. “We will survive this week. Don’t forget your thumb exercises.”
“Has TMZ ever been this wrong before?” another added. “This is a total failure of American intelligence. A special counsel needs to be assigned.”
The DNC hinting at a special guest pic.twitter.com/MqUxBFQ5m4
— Jordan (@SLCLunk) August 23, 2024
— Tim Duffy™ (@TimDuffy) August 23, 2024
The tmz intern who tweeted the Beyoncé news trying to get into the LA office tomorrow pic.twitter.com/X8mSrKGT2L
— John (@iam_johnw) August 23, 2024
Still, the 2024 DNC had quite the celebrity guest list, with Mindy Kaling, Tony Goldwyn, Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Maren Morris, Stevie Wonder, The Chicks, Pink and Lil Jon all showing up to endorse Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, and encourage voters to cast their ballots in the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Next: Viewers Say Tim Walz’s Son Gus ‘Ripped My Heart Out of My Chest’ in Emotional DNC Moment
