Yahoo Lifestyle Ariana Grande Has Bold Response to Carrie Underwood's Controversial Inauguration Performance
Ariana Grande subtly made her opinion about Carrie Underwood's inauguration performance known.
The Wicked star, 31, appeared to "like" an Instagram post shading the American Idol judge's controversial performance at Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20.
The post in question featured a snap of former VP Kamala Harris looking slightly alarmed while Underwood, 41, performed an a cappella version of "America the Beautiful" following a technical issue with the background music.
"Kamala Harris evoking Coco Montrese ('Girl, find the note') watching Carrie Underwood at today’s chilling Inauguration," read the caption, referencing the RuPaul's Drag Race contestant's iconic line.
coco montrese: ''girl, find the note, find the note'' pic.twitter.com/CYaopYAMnX
— drag race archives (@DragRaceQuots) January 5, 2023
Fans couldn't get enough of Grande's quiet response to Underwood's performance, with one social media user writing, "ARIANA HAHAHSHEHQHHWHSHAHAHAHQHWHWHWHWH," while another said, "Ariana liked this lmfao 😭." A third added, "ARIANA LIKED. OH MISS GRANDE THE VOCALIST AND LEGEND YOU ARE!!"
And while some fans agreed with the original poster's caption, with one saying that "chilling" is a "good word" for Monday's event, others came to Underwood's defense.
"I thought she actually sounded amazing though. Girl can saaang," wrote one Instagram user, while another chimed in with, "She sounded great! For those criticizing, I’d love to hear them sing this lol."
Earlier this month, it was announced that Underwood would perform at Trump's inauguration.
“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in a statement at the time. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
The move surprised some fans, as the eight-time Grammy winner has remained tight-lipped about her political leanings throughout her career.
"I feel like more people try to pin me places politically,” she told The Guardian in a 2019 interview. “I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins. It’s crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”
