Hold up — did the CMAs really delete all mention of Beyoncé from their website after a racist backlash? Not so fast. According to the awards show, the Country Music Association Awards only removed a snippet of Queen Bey and the Dixie Chicks’ performance because they didn’t have the rights to publish the clip online.
“CMA has not erased any mentions of Beyoncé’s performance on the CMA Awards,” they said in a statement to Us Weekly on Thursday, November 3. “In advance of the broadcast, CMA removed a five-second promotional clip from ABC.com and CMA’s Facebook page. The promo was unapproved and CMA removed it prior to the broadcast. Beyoncé’s performance with Dixie Chicks was a highlight of the evening and we are continuing to share the amazing full-length performance clip via our official social channels.”
Their statement came after TMZ reported the association had removed mention of Beyoncé’s performance after a racist backlash online. Some country music fans were upset that the CMAs invited Queen Bey to perform, as one Twitter user voiced, “at our country music show…since she hates cops, white people and supports [Black Lives Matter],” TMZ reported.
Another comment on social media compared “having Beyoncé perform at the CMA Awards is like having Taylor Swift perform at the BET Awards.”
The racially tinged remarks didn’t go unnoticed by the Dixie Chicks.
“‘You know you dat Bitch when you cause all this conversation. Always stay gracious best revenge is your paper.’ #Bey #Slay,” singer Natalie Maines tweeted Thursday afternoon amid the drama.
The band also tweeted on Thursday, “If we all turn this up really loud, together we can drown out the hate,” along with a link to download their version of “Daddy Lessons.”
Relive their talked-about performance in the video above.
