Who is actually performing at the Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair?

Since announcing the performer lineup, a growing number of the scheduled artists have withdrawn from the 250th anniversary celebration.

Earlier this week, The Freedom 250, an organization backed by President Donald Trump, announced the lineup for its upcoming “Great American State Fair,” set to take place from June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall in Washington DC. According to the organization, the event would feature stars like Martina McBride, Young MC, C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, Morris Day & The Time, Flo Rida, and Bret Michaels. 

However, just 24 hours after the announcement, a wave of artist cancellations spread across social media as many of the musical acts featured on the flyer began withdrawing from the event. At the time of publication, six out of the nine artists who appeared on the Freedom 250 flyer have publicly called off their performances. Here is what they said:

Young MC

Hours after Freedom 250’s announcement, Young MC took to Facebook to publicly cancel his appearance, during which he claimed: “artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.” 

“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” he captioned the post. “Despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed.” I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”  

Morris Day

Similarly, Morris Day shut down any claims that he would perform in a statement posted to Instagram, which read: “Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing at the Great American State Fair.” 

“It’s a no for me,” Day added. 

The Commodores

“The Commodores will not be performing at the Great American State Fair,” the group wrote in a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday. “Our music has always been our voice, and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans.”

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Milli Vanilli 

After a series of conflicting reports emerged about Milli Vanilli’s involvement, the original vocalists behind the 1980’s music group, Jodie & Linda Rocco, Brad Howell, John Davis, and Charles Shaw, released an official statement stating that the group will not be performing their hits live at the Freedom 250 event. 

However, Fab Morvan, the last surviving member of the front-facing duo that rose to fame for lip-syncing Rocco, Davis, Howell, and Shaw’s vocals as Milli Vanilli, says he feels “honored to be a part” of the celebration. 

“I am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them,” Morvan added, per Fox 5 DC. “Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane.” 

It remains unclear if Morvan will perform music from his time in Milli Vanilli or from his solo career. 

Martina McBride

On Thursday evening, the country singer released a statement to “clear the air” on her reported performance. Confirming that she will not be performing at the Great American Fair, McBride, like Young MC, said that she was misled about the event. 

“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading. I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,” she wrote, revealing she initially saw the event as a wholesome community celebration. “Yesterday, things started changing, and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.” 

Bret Michaels 

In a lengthy Instagram post, Michaels announced that he will no longer be performing at the event, writing: “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.” 

“Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance,” he added, also citing safety concerns. 

After all of these cancellations, only a handful of acts remain: Flo Rida, who has yet to address his involvement; Vanilla Ice, who expressed excitement; C+C Music Factory, whose frontman, Freedom Williams, shared conflicting thoughts on performing; and Fab Morvan.