Viewers were outraged that Rihanna went against her morals and performed at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday. Rihanna said she will not be participating at the halftime show in support of former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2018 after Kaepernick began his kneeling movement during the playing of the National Anthem in protest of police brutality.
The singer turned down the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl 2019 halftime show with Maroon 5, according to a source close to the artist who spoke to People at the time.
The insider confirmed that the team had approached her, but she had rejected it, citing her support for Colin Kaepernick and the #TakeAKnee movement as a major component in her decision.
It seems that the news of Rihanna’s boycott touched a virtue-signaling chord among many celebrities, including the inimitable Amy Schumer. The tweet said, in part: “Wouldn’t it be so amazing if @adamlevine and @maroon5 stood down too? So, tell me, what do you think? Schumer took to Instagram to vent.
One day later, Schumer declared that she, too, would no longer be participating in Super Bowl advertisements, and she urged Maroon 5 to join Rihanna in her boycott.
“Thought for a Friday. My question is why more white athletes aren’t taking a knee? When you see the cruelty of policies and the deaths of innocent people of color, you will understand the depth of the inequity that people of color experience in our society. To show respect, why not bow down to your brothers? If not, then how can you say that you are not involved? Those words were written by her.
She went on to say that she hadn’t done a Super Bowl commercial this year and that it would be “great” if @maroon5 did the same thing as @badgalriri had done by pulling out of the big game.
Well, Rihanna did not stick to her boycott, as seen by her performance during Sunday’s halftime show. No one would let her forget it, and she never did.
The singer blew it for Colin Kaepernick.