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The singer apologized for being “uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.”
Richard Drew / AP
Tony Award-winning Broadway star Jennifer Holliday on Saturday pulled out of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration concert, after previously spending days defending her initial decision to participate.
The actress and singer, known for her role in Dreamgirls and her signature song “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,” told The Wrap her decision to perform was a “lapse in judgement.”
The star apologized to the LGBT community, saying she was sorry for being “uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.”
“My only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT Community and to state unequivocally that I WILL NOT PERFORM FOR THE WELCOME CONCERT OR FOR ANY OF THE INAUGURATION FESTIVITIES!” Holliday said.
Holliday had initially defended her decision to participate in the Jan. 19 concert, saying she would sing “for the people.”
“We’ve become such a polarized country — we’re not listening to what the Obamas have said,” she told the New York Times. “They told us to move forward with hope — they didn’t tell us to stop participating — I didn’t hear that in Obama’s speech.”
But she said in her letter on Saturday that she had changed her mind after coming to understand the pain that her appearance would cause her LGBT fans.
“Please know that I HEAR YOU and I feel your pain,” she said. “The LGBT Community was mostly responsible for birthing my career and I am deeply indebted to you… You have loved me faithfully and unconditionally and for so many years you provided me with work even though my star had long since faded.”
LINK: Here’s Who’s Performing At Trump’s Inauguration Concert
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