The Democrat National Convention had promised a major surprise guest for its grand finale on Thursday night.
Rumors swirled, with many expecting a high-profile appearance by a celebrity to rally support for Vice President Kamala Harris as she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.
According to former CNN anchor, Don Lemon, “I’m sure you guys have read all the headlines, all the stuff on social media about who’s going to be at the DNC. Is it going to be Beyoncé? Is it going to be Taylor Swift? Here’s what I hear from sources. If it’s going to be anyone, it would be Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and George W. Bush speaking. Those would be the heavy hitters, and it could happen. I’m just saying…”
Social media was ablaze with speculation after White House Political Director Emmy Ruiz tweeted a cryptic bee emoji, which many interpreted as a nod to Beyonce herself.
— Emmy Ruiz (@emmyruiz) August 22, 2024
TMZ, notorious for its celebrity gossip, jumped on the story, reporting that Beyoncé was in Chicago and preparing for a surprise performance at the United Center to support Kamala Harris. The report claimed that Chicago PD was on high alert, ready to manage the massive security operation for the pop icon’s appearance.
But when the final night arrived, the surprise guest was nowhere to be found. The mystery guest turned out to be nothing more than a figment of overblown speculation, leaving Kamala Harris and the Democrats with egg on their faces.
CNN’s Abby Phillip quickly took to Twitter to slam TMZ for its faulty reporting, declaring, “TMZ lost a lot of credibility tonight.”
TMZ lost a lot of credibility tonight.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) August 23, 2024
Phillip’s comment was met with a swift backlash, given that she herself works for fake news CNN.
Their credibility is about the same as CNN, which is to say none whatsoever
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) August 23, 2024
Do you think the public views TMZ or CNN as having more credibility?
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 23, 2024
So did CNN.
— Bobby Burack (@burackbobby_) August 23, 2024
You mean Democrats did.
— JD Sharp (@imjdsharp) August 23, 2024