- Ariana Grande has always been vocal about her political opinions
- And it now appears that the Wicked actor has made a subtle dig via social media at Carrie Underwood
- Underwood performed at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on January 20
Ariana Grande has always been vocal about her political opinions – and now it seems the star has made a subtle dig at one of the performers at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
On January 20, Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States – the second time he has taken office, with his last stint ending in 2021.
Among those performing at the ceremony was country singer Carrie Underwood, whose successful career began when she won American Idol in 2005.
However, Trump’s divisive politics had caused a lot of artists to shun invitations to take to the stage during the inauguration, while criticizing those who did – and Grande appears to be one of them.
Without giving a direct statement, the Wicked star, 31, made a subtle dig at Underwood, 41, via Instagram.
An image posted by internet personality Evan Ross Katz showed Underwood singing America The Beautiful into the microphone, with Vice President Kamala Harris seen standing behind her with a less-than-impressed expression.
Referencing a quote from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Katz captioned the post, “Kamala Harris evoking Coco Montrese (‘Girl, find the note’) watching Carrie Underwood at today’s chilling Inauguration.”
And fans were quick to notice that Grande had liked the image.
Ariana Grande divides opinion
Grande’s fans were quick to defend the Dangerous Woman singer.
“I’m standing with Ariana,” one fan wrote on Twitter/X, after a screenshot of Grande’s Instagram activity was posted to the platform.
“And that’s why Ari is queen,” another said.
However, others criticized the Glinda actor, and jumped to Underwood’s defence.
“Already trying to cancel Carrie Underwood for supporting Trump. We WON’T allow her to be canceled,” they said.
Another agreed, “We won’t allow people who support Trump to be canceled. It won’t happen.”
Underwood faces technical difficulties
While public backlash was one issue, Underwood also faced technical difficulties during the performance.
When it came time to give her rendition of the patriotic anthem, the stage had to be moved indoors at the US Capitol due to cold temperatures outdoors.
Then the backing track failed to play, leading Underwood to perform the song a cappella instead.
“If you know the words, help me out here,” the Before He Cheats singer pleaded with the crowd.
Despite getting through the track, sources revealed that Underwood was unhappy with the situation.
“Carrie was dissatisfied with her performance at the event, primarily due to the limited space she was given, which left her feeling cramped and uncomfortable,” the insider told Mail Online. “Her anxiety was high throughout the performance, and she felt that she was not afforded the same level of respect or admiration that previous performers, such as Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, had received.
“She felt as if she was ushered in and out and had a mini hissy fit afterwards.”
They added, “She is used to playing at massive venues with a stage to herself. She was not given a stage or a platform even.
“She felt like she was literally just in a room with people all around her and a microphone. This threw off the acoustics.”
