Singer The Weeknd and rapper Belly decided to opt-out of a Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance because Presidential candidate Donald Trump was also slated to be a guest during the same show.
The pair were set to perform Belly’s song “Might Not”, which features The Weeknd, but canceled in protest of Trump’s guest spot on the same night.
Belly has since released a statement to the Associated Press about his decision to cancel the performance, saying that he didn’t want to feel like he was applauding someone that he and many others so vehemently disagree with.
“I feel like the way I was raised was to be able to see through all the titles in this world — from religion to race,” Belly said in the statement. “I just didn’t want to feel like I was a part of a celebration for somebody who has beliefs that majority of us don’t agree with.”
“I’m here on a campaign of positivity and love and to contribute what I can to music,” the Roc Nation rapper went on to explain. “I create songs people go to sleep and wake up to, songs that they fall in love to. For me, being Muslim and being somebody that appreciates my access here in America, I love the fact that I’m able to be here. To play my part in this business is a privilege and a beautiful thing. The fact that I could lose that ability through the actions of someone such as Donald Trump isn’t right to me. At all.”
The Weeknd has yet to comment on the matter and when AP contacted Jimmy Kimmel Live!, reps for the show said that they had “no comment.”
Photo Credit: Belly/Instagram
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