Morris Day and Young MC are proof that public shaming beats a paycheck

Maybe you’ve heard already of the big UFC fight arena being constructed atop the White House’s South Lawn, where President Ronald Reagan once welcomed the 52 American diplomats and citizens who had been held captive in Iran for 444 days. If you like the sound of that spectacle, then you’re going to love the music lineup being offered by the Freedom 250 organization for its 2026 Great American State Fair. The event, spanning June 25-July 10, is set to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday (at the National Mall, not on the South Lawn), and its lineup was announced yesterday: Martina McBride, Young MC, Morris Day & The Time, C+C Music Factory, Bret Michaels, Flo Rida, The Commodores, Vanilla Ice, and Milli Vanilli, the latter two presumably coming in a two-for-one deal. If they collaborated, would it be Vanilli Ice, or Milli Vanilla? 

If you’re struggling to remember some or most of those American icons, that’s probably because you haven’t started collecting social security yet. Bret Michaels’ last grasp of relevancy came either when Poison’s “Something to Believe In” peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 36 years ago, when Trump was still married to his first wife, or when the hair metal singer had a reality TV show on VH1, depending on your tolerance level. Vanilla Ice got a #1 hit that same year by stealing one of Queen’s basslines without permission. Martina McBride hasn’t topped the country charts solo since 9/11, though she did reach the summit as part of the “Forever Country” ensemble in 2016. 

Despite Rob Pilatus’ untimely passing in 1998, Fab Morvan has been keeping the Milli Vanilli name alive, thanks to “Blame It on the Rain” and “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” appearing in Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story two years ago. The biggest disappointment on the lineup card is Flo Rida, who, though named after a scarlet-red state, is admittedly kind of awesome. Now I can’t get the image of JD Vance clapping along miserably to “Low” out of my head.

Two artists who appeared in the initial lineup announcement have already dropped out after facing public backlash. Morris Day posted a text box on his Instagram account stating, “Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair.’” He captioned the post “It’s A No For Me,” alongside a sunglasses emoji. Young MC busted a move and got out of dodge, too, sharing on Instagram: “I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT.” The rapper also noted that the participating artists were told the event would be non-partisan. The only thing more powerful than a Trump-backed paycheck is shame. 

C+C Music Factory’s only remaining original member, Freedom Williams, posted a tirade in which he seemingly suggested he would not be participating before immediately contradicting himself. “I don’t give a fuck about Trump, but I also don’t give a fuck about you, either!” he raged in an Instagram video. “Shit, you keep pushing me, I’ll do the motherfucking show in North Korea pissing on a fucking American flag, smoking a Cuban cigar, drinking Venezuelan wine, playing golf with motherfucking Kim Jong-il with an Iranian bitch on my lap while Trump’s standing there with his dick in his hand.” He finished his rant by saying he “might” still do the Freedom 250 show and give viewers the finger. Now that’s America, baby. 

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