Fergie thought everything went as planned when she walked off the court at Los Angeles’ Staples Center after singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” to kick off the 2018 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 18.
“Neither Fergie nor her team thought anything was wrong with her national anthem rendition,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “That’s the way she sings a lot of her songs. She loves adding a little sexiness and being different with her riffs. It was meant to be jazz-inspired. She wanted to stand out.”
And she did. Viewers were quick to share their reactions to the sultry performance on Twitter, with some users calling it “the worst rendition ever.” NBA players including Stephen Curry and Draymond Green visibly struggled to stifle their laughter, while celebrity attendees such as Jimmy Kimmel and Chance the Rapper also appeared to chuckle at the 42-year-old singer’s histrionics.
Khloé Kardashian tweeted, “This All Star opening is confusing me. WTF is going on? Anyone?” And Roseanne Barr, who infamously sang an off-key rendition of the patriotic tune during a 1990 MLB game, later wrote, “Who saw Fergie’s national anthem at the NBA All Star Game? I think mine was better lowkey.”
Even the NBA on TNT commentators weighed in during the halftime report. “It was different. I needed a cigarette after that,” Charles Barkley told Shaquille O’Neal, who came to the former Black Eyed Peas singer’s defense. “Leave my Fergie alone,” O’Neal said. “It was different. It was sexy.” Mariah Carey, who had a disastrous New Year’s Eve performance in 2016, also showed her support, telling TMZ, “Darling, nobody needs to listen to [the haters].”
Fergie has yet to publicly respond to the criticism.
With reporting by Travis Cronin.
