{"id":921214,"date":"2026-07-20T10:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/20\/morris-day-denies-hes-playing-controversial-freedom-250-gig-in-d-c\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T10:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:14:11","slug":"morris-day-denies-hes-playing-controversial-freedom-250-gig-in-d-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/20\/morris-day-denies-hes-playing-controversial-freedom-250-gig-in-d-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Morris Day Denies He’s Playing Controversial ‘Freedom 250’ Gig in D.C."},"content":{"rendered":"

Music <\/p>\n

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\n\tSinger Morris Day<\/a> has denied what he is calling \u201crumors\u201d that he and the Time are set to play a \u201cFreedom 250<\/a>\u201d concert on the National Mall next month, even though organizers announced him as headlining a show June 27 as part of a 16-day patriotic fair in Washington, D.C. that is controversial for its perceived ties to the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cContrary to rumors,\u201d Day announced in a graphic on his social media accounts, \u201cMorris Day & the Time will not be performing at the \u2018Great American State Fair.’\u201d In the comments section, an additional denial was posted, along with an emoji of sunglasses: \u201cIt\u2019s a No for Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAt least some of the performers who were announced as performers on Wednesday immediately came under fire from music fans who believe playing the Freedom 250 shows constitutes support for Trump, amid the gear-up to Independence Day.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tPopular on Variety\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\tOthers announced for concerts by Freedom 250 in the \u201cfirst wave of participants\u201d include Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida, Bret Michaels, Milli Vanilli, Young MC, Martina McBride, C+C Music Factory and the Commodores (who were to have co-headlined a show with Day). <\/p>\n

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\n\tOrganizers have said the Great American State Fair and Freedom 250 are nonpartisan, but that hasn\u2019t quelled complaints from those who contend these are tied in with how Donald J. Trump is putting his thumbprint on the nation\u2019s 250th birthday celebrations.<\/p>\n

\n\tSome fans expressed relief in response to Day\u2019s posts denying he would not be performing, while others wondered if he was booked but pulled out due to the swift backlash. <\/p>\n

\n\tDay\u2019s press rep and agency did not immediately respond to Variety<\/em>\u2018s requests for comment. Variety was also unable to reach Freedom 250 for comment on the discrepancy between the advertising and Day\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cC-O-O-L\u2026. Because several of us was giving y\u2019all the side eye,\u201d wrote one relieved fan on Facebook, in response to Day\u2019s disavowal. \u201cLawd I was about to throw away everything you beautiful cats have done!!!\u201d wrote another. And: \u201cOh, I am so happy! I\u2019ve walked around all day pissed off and disappointed in y\u2019all, lol.\u201d Some were still skeptical, though, like the user who wrote: \u201cRumor? Your name is printed on the advertisement.\u201d Wrote another: \u201cWhen Morris Day found out he was about to get canceled, it\u2019s now a rumor.\u201d<\/p>\n

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JUST ANNOUNCED: The lineup for The Great American State Fair is here \u2014 and it\u2019s bringing the hits. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udfb6 <\/p>\n

Martina McBride, Young MC, C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, The Commodores, Morris Day & The Time, Flo Rida, Bret Michaels \u2026and many more.<\/p>\n

16 days. 56 states\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/DJdypWJl3P<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 Freedom 250 (@Freedom250) May 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\n\tThe bill aroused plenty of commentary on social media apart from just Day\u2019s advertised involvement. Some have wondered about the lineups of Milli Vanilli, which has not been a duo since the death of Rob Pilatus in 1998, or C+C Music Factory, which is touted on the poster art with only a photo of Freedom Williams, the only remaining original member after the exits of titular founders David Cole (who died in 1995) and Robert Clivill\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo far, the other artists advertised as headlining concerts during the June 25-July 10 fair on the Mall have not spoken up about their involvement.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe Freedom 250 banner was involved in another recent controversial event, the Rededicate 250 religious event that took place on the National Mall May 17, \u201ca full day of prayer, music, and testimony\u201d that some detractors felt blurred the line between church and state. Participants in that event included such Washington figures as Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and Mike Johnson as well as Christian leaders like Franklin Graham and other prominent evangelical figures. The president delivered a video address to the gathering. <\/p>\n

\n\tNotably, Trump\u2019s name does not appear on promotional materials for the events. \u201cFreedom 250 is the national, non-partisan organization leading the celebration of our Nation\u2019s 250th birthday,\u201d says a mission statement on the org\u2019s website. \u201cWorking together with the White House Task Force 250, federal agencies, and the Commission, Freedom 250 serves as the official public-private partnership that connects, aligns, and amplifies national and local efforts to deliver the defining presidential moments of this anniversary year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOne Morris Day gig that is apparently still on is the \u201cPurple Rain\u201d costar and his reconstituted version of the Time playing at Paisley Park\u2019s annual Prince celebration at the Armory in Minneapolis on June 5.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe lineup on the fair\u2019s website lists the performers and dates as follows:<\/p>\n

\n\tSpecial Guests, Speakers, & Performers Music Icons<\/strong>
Martina McBride<\/strong> | June 25 Four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year and Grammy-nominated performer known for powerhouse country hits like \u201cIndependence Day\u201d and \u201cA Broken Wing.
C+C Music Factory<\/strong> | June 26 Grammy-winning dance music group behind global hits like \u201cGonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)\u201d
Vanilla Ice<\/strong> | June 26 Multi-platinum rapper and pop culture icon best known for \u201cIce Ice Baby\u201d
Milli Vanilli <\/strong>| June 26 Internationally recognized pop duo known for chart-topping hits, including \u201cGirl You Know It\u2019s True\u201d
Young MC <\/strong>| June 26 Grammy Award-winning rapper best known for the iconic hit \u201cBust a Move\u201d and high-energy 90s hip-hop performances.
The Commodores<\/strong> | June 27 Legendary funk and soul band behind timeless hits like \u201cBrick House,\u201d \u201cEasy,\u201d and \u201cThree Times a Lady\u201d
Morris Day and The Time <\/strong>| June 27 Iconic funk and R&B group known for electrifying performances and classics like \u201cJungle Love\u201d and \u201cThe Bird\u201d
Flo Rida <\/strong>| July 2 Multi-platinum global hitmaker behind chart-topping anthems like \u201cLow,\u201d \u201cRight Round,\u201d and \u201cGood Feeling\u201d
Bret Michaels<\/strong> | July 3 Multi-platinum rock icon and frontman of Poison, known for legendary hits like \u201cEvery Rose Has Its Thorn\u201d and \u201cNothin\u2019 But a Good Time\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music Singer Morris Day has denied what he is calling \u201crumors\u201d that he and the Time are set to play a \u201cFreedom 250\u201d concert on the National Mall next month, even though organizers announced him as headlining a show June 27 as part of a 16-day patriotic fair in Washington, D.C. that is controversial for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":921215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[131522],"class_list":["post-921214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business-news","tag-podcast-music"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/921215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}