close
close

Rumors about Beyoncé and Taylor Swift's party leadership are circulating

Top line

There is speculation that pop singer Beyoncé could make a surprise appearance at the Democratic Party convention this week to publicly support Kamala Harris's presidential candidacy. The pop star and regular supporter of the Democrats had previously given Harris permission to use her song in the election campaign. A high-ranking party official also did not rule out an appearance by Beyoncé.

Key data

Neither Beyoncé nor her team have indicated that she might perform at the four-day event in Chicago this week, but rumors are circulating that she might use the convention to officially express her support for Harris.

Beyoncé gave Harris permission to use her song “Freedom” earlier this year, and Harris used it in several campaign appearances before it appeared in her first campaign ad last month.

The song was also played at the DNC on Monday when Harris took the stage at Chicago's United Center and some delegates wore cowboy hats and “Cowboy Kamala” sashes in reference to Beyoncé's latest album, “Cowboy Carter.”

On Tuesday morning, Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison would neither confirm nor deny to CBS Mornings that the superstar would perform. Instead, he said, “Every day she stands here and sings 'Freedom.'”

Fans have fueled rumors on social media – so far without evidence – that Beyoncé might perform sometime before Harris's closing speech on Thursday night, and news outlets such as the Washington Post and CNN have speculated about her possible appearance.

Although she has allowed the use of her music, Beyoncé has not yet publicly endorsed Harris, unlike Joe Biden in 2020, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2012 (she also performed at his inauguration and inaugural ball in 2013).

Get text alerts for breaking Forbes news: We are introducing SMS alerts to keep you up to date with the most important headlines of the day. Send “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or register Here: joinsubtext.com/forbes.

What you should pay attention to

If Beyoncé does show up. She has no public appearances scheduled this week, but she did launch a new brand of whiskey called SirDavis on Tuesday morning.

Will Taylor Swift attend the DNC?

The other superstar musician fueling speculation about whether she might endorse Harris is Taylor Swift, and rumors of her appearing at the DNC have also circulated — though, like Beyoncé, there is no evidence yet that she will endorse Harris. Swift has a concert scheduled in London for Tuesday, but is then not scheduled to perform again until November, potentially leaving room for a DNC appearance later in the week, fans have speculated. Swift has been vocal in her opposition to Donald Trump in the past and endorsed Biden in 2020, but has so far kept a low profile this election cycle. Earlier this week, Trump shared an AI-generated image of Swift pledging her support for the Republican, along with a short post saying, “I accept!”

Forbes Rating

We estimated Beyoncé's net worth at $760 million in May.

More information

CNNHollywood heads to Chicago for Democratic National Convention as speculation swirls about Beyoncé and Taylor Swift | CNN PoliticsBillboardBeyoncé's stirring a cappella video “Freedom” kicked off the first night of the Democratic National Convention
ForbesKamala Harris' first campaign ad targets Trump's criminal conviction – features Beyoncé's “freedom”ForbesWhat you should know about Beyoncé's “Freedom” – Kamala Harris' new campaign anthemForbesBeyoncé launches the whiskey brand SirDavis – and will soon become a billionaire