"This is the Internet taking on a life of its own" — DNC execs break silence on rumors of Beyoncé performing at the convention going viral

Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, the Democratic National Convention's executive producers, set the record straight about rumors of Beyoncé attending the convention, to endorse US Vice President Kamala Harris. On August 27, 2024, Kirshner and Weiss sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where they were asked about Beyoncé's rumored appearance at the convention.

Weiss said the rumor took on a life of its own as it spread on social media. He added that many people questioned when she would turn up at the convention, refusing to take no for an answer.

"This is the internet taking on a life of its own and people taking something as fact — literally to the point that people in my booth are saying, 'Is she coming? You can tell me.' And I would say, 'I have no knowledge she’s coming.' And they would say, 'No knowledge? So there’s something to know!' It was pretty crazy," he said.

The DNC, held in Chicago between August 19 and 22, saw an influx of celebrities. However, the one celebrity that many tuned in to watch was Beyoncé, who did not make an appearance at the convention, much to their dismay.

On August 22, TMZ reported that Beyoncé was expected at the convention as a surprise performer when Harris accepted her nomination as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming elections.

The news spread like wildfire on social media, with many tuning in to see the singer. However, they were disappointed after the singer never showed up on their screens. TMZ later apologized for their report.

During their interview with Hollywood Reporter, Kirshner and Weiss revealed Beyoncé was never scheduled to appear at the convention as her presence could have overshadowed Kamala Harris. Kirshner added that many of his own staff refused to believe him, saying:

"We never put out anything about Beyoncé. We denied it every time the media asked us — even though, by the way, people on my staff didn’t believe me. I kept getting texts from news organizations saying, 'When is Beyoncé coming out?' But come on, we have the biggest star, the Democratic nominee for president. Why would we overshadow that?"

Yvette Noel-Schure, Beyoncé's representative, told CNN that the singer was not scheduled to attend or perform at the DNC, saying:

“Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there. The report of a performance is untrue.”

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Kamala Harris used the Beyoncé song Freedom in her campaign ads

While Beyoncé was not at the DNC in person, her songs made their way to the convention. VP Kamala Harris used the singer's hit song Freedom as her official campaign anthem and the song has been used in her campaign ads as well.

While the singer has yet to publicly endorse Kamala Harris, her mother Tina Knowles showed her support for the Democratic candidate. Beyoncé also stopped Donald Trump from using Freedom in one of his campaign ads. The ad was deleted after her record label sent a cease-and-desist to Trump's presidential campaign.

Freedom is the 10th song from the singer's 2016 album Lemonade. The track, which features rapper Kendrick Lamar, became the anthem of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd's death.

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The 2024 US presidential election with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump, is scheduled for November 5.