Beyoncé hype ran high then popped like a balloon at the DNC

By CNN Newsource

Published August 23, 2024 7:39 AM

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — You may want to avoid the Beyhive today, as it is buzzing and ready to sting.

There was heightened excitement among many heading into the final night of the Democratic National Convention, not just because Vice President Kamala Harris was set to accept the party’s nomination, but because of hope the woman behind her campaign anthem would “rain on the thunder” and “wave through the waters” of Chicago’s United Center.

Like most pop culture fantasies, speculation that Beyoncé would make an appearance at the DNC started – and ended – on social media.

From the moment CNN reported in July that Beyoncé had granted the vice president permission to use her 2016 song “Freedom” for her presidential campaign, there were questions.

Would Queen Bey make a formal endorsement? Might a concert in support of Harris happen? And even more mind blowing, could Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, two of the biggest artists on the planet, join together in support of Harris in Chi-town?

Some people swore they saw signs pointing to an inevitable Beyoncé arrival at the convention – her private plane was rumored to have landed at O’Hare, the house band was practicing Beyoncé songs, there were “Cowboy Kamala” sashes in the Washington delegation. Surely, she would come.

Shasti Conrad, the Washington Democratic Party’s chair, told the Washington State Standard that she is a fan of both the singer and the vice president – a Beyhive and “KHive” member.

“The Beyhive is sort of what the KHive built themselves after — sort of this rabid fanbase for both,” Conrad said. “So we were like, let’s celebrate the two of them and this cultural moment, political moment — and these incredible women of color.”

A bee emoji shared on X by White House political director Emily Ruiz further spiked the hype.

And in fairness to the fans, there was a concert vibe running through the star-studded DNC all week. After Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance on Wednesday night, a post by the X account “Angry Staffer” promised a more momentous moment on Thursday.

“I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but you don’t want to miss the DNC tonight,” the since-deleted post read. “If you thought the Oprah surprise was big, just wait.”

On Thursday evening, TMZ reported that Beyoncé would indeed be performing. Media outlets, including CNN, reached out to representatives to confirm, while social media held its collective breath.

After all, Beyoncé has appeared at numerous Democratic events in the past, including President Barack Obama’s presidential Inaugural Ball in 2008, Obama’s second presidential Inauguration in 2013, and a pre-election concert in Ohio for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Beyoncé also endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.

Then the fever dream ended and the pop culture balloon popped.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to have the news that the Grammy-winning singer would not be appearing at the DNC.

“She was never scheduled to be in Chicago,” Beyoncé’s representative Yvette Noel-Schure told CNN in a statement.

TMZ issued a mea culpa with “Texas Hold ‘Em” song lyrics to walk back its report.

“To quote the great Beyoncé: We gotta lay our cards down, down, down … we got this one wrong,” an update on the original story reads.

The X account that appeared to have gotten the initial ball rolling, Angry Staffer, also offered up an apology on the site, writing “Re: special guest rumor – I’m not sure where it started, but the people who told me aren’t prone to hyperbole.”

The internet, however, is.

CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this story.