Janelle Monáe tears into Nelly over Trump inauguration performance: ‘You sold out’
Janelle Monáe has roasted Nelly over his Donald Trump inauguration performance. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Baby2Baby/Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Singer Janelle Monáe has roasted Nelly over his appearance at an event marking Donald Trump’s inauguration, saying: “You sold out”.
Rapper Nelly defended his decision to perform at Trump’s Liberty Inaugural Ball, claiming: “This isn’t politics”.
But at a Grammys after-party, Monáe, a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, having come out as non-binary in 2022 , took the rapper to task for his decision.
On Sunday (2 February), alongside singer and rapper Anderson .Paak, Monáe performed Nelly’s hit “Hot in Herre” and couldn’t resist commenting on the Trump performance.
“F*** you, Nelly,” she said. “I used to like Nelly but then he went to perform for Donald Trump.”
She then broke into rap: “Nelly, you sold out. I used to think he was cool, but now you look like a motherf****ing fool… f*** you, you got a new attitude.”
#JanelleMonae roasted #Nelly at a #GRAMMYs after-party in L.A. Sunday night, blasting him for recently performing at #PresidentTrump's inauguration 👀 Details here: https://t.co/m3Ji9QOv3y pic.twitter.com/iLcbDSP13b
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 3, 2025
Nelly defended his decision, saying he would’ve performed at the event regardless of who was president.
“I didn’t know that you was riding with me because you thought I would ride for who you voted for. I didn’t know that I had to agree with your political choices. If you follow what I do, this shouldn’t even be an argument,” he said.
“I support the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office. I respect the office”.
Carrie Underwood and the Village People also performed at events celebrating Trump’s return to power, and were condemned by their fans.
Trump attacked the LGBTQ+ community during his first term in the White House and almost immediately after being sworn-in again on 20 January signed an executive order proclaiming that America would recognise only two sexes: male and female.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
How did this story make you feel?
