Jennifer Holliday Pulls Out of Trump's Inauguration After Backlash
The Broadway singer apologized to the LGBT community.
— -- Jennifer Holliday will not be among the performers during Donald Trump's upcoming inaugural festivities in Washington, D.C.
The singer was set to perform on January 19 alongside Toby Keith and the band 3 Doors Down at the "Make America Great! Again Welcome Celebration" at the Lincoln Memorial, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Friday.
The event, scheduled for one day before Trump is to be sworn in as president, will be proceeded by another event, "Voices of the People," which will feature King’s Academy Honor Choir, Celtic United Pipes and Drums, Webelos Troop 177, Northern Middle School Honors Choir, American Tap Company, among many others.
A day after the announcement, Holliday, 56, confirmed to ABC News that she would not be performing.
In an open letter addressed "TO MY BELOVED LGBT COMMUNITY," the "Dreamgirls" star apologized for her "lapse in judgment."
The Grammy Award-winner has long been considered an ally for the LGBT community. Holliday shot to fame after portraying Effie White in the original Broadway production of "Dreamgirls," a role which earned her a Tony Award.
"I was honestly just thinking that I wanted my voice to be a healing and unifying force for hope through music to help our deeply polarized country," she wrote. "Regretfully, I did not take into consideration that my performing for the concert would actually instead be taken as a political act against my own personal beliefs and be mistaken for support of Donald Trump and Mike Pence."
Holliday said that after reading a Daily Beast article headlined, "Jennifer Holliday Will Perform at Trump's Inauguration, Which Is Heartbreaking to Gay Fans," she has decided "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!"
The "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" singer concluded her note by saying: "Please know that I HEAR YOU and I feel your pain. 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."
When asked for a statement about Holliday’s participation, the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s Director of Communications, Boris Epshteyn released this statement to ABC News.
"As Americans from across the country unite to celebrate the 58th Presidential Inaugural, we are humbled by the outpouring of support we are receiving and are honored to have so many world-class performers taking part in this historic celebration of freedom and democracy."