Why Did the CMAs Erase Any Mention of Beyoncé from Social Media?
On Wednesday, ahead of Beyoncé‘s epic performance with the Dixie Chicks at the CMAs, there was no mention of her anywhere on the CMAs’ Twitter and Facebook feeds, nor on the official website, CMAWorld.com. Nothing. Thing is, she had previously appeared on the feeds, as PopSugar reports. Also, though Bey went on to absolutely slay a rendition of “Daddy Lessons” onstage, that fact didn’t appear on the CMA pages the following day, either. Lots of talk about Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood. Nothing about Beyoncé.
The void was keenly felt across social media. Angry fans took to Twitter to ask: Why did you delete Beyoncé? Did it have something to do with racist backlash prior to and after Bey’s incredible performance on Wednesday that prompted the Dixie Chicks to tweet, “If we all turn this up really loud, together we can drown out the hate”? What is going on?
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Yesterday, in response to the queries, the CMAs released a statement to Billboard that, of course, denied everything. “CMA has not erased any mentions of Beyoncé’s performance on the CMA Awards,” the statement read. “In advance of the broadcast, CMA removed a five-second promotional clip from ABC.com and CMA’s Facebook page.” No mention of Twitter. “The promo was unapproved and CMA removed it prior to the broadcast. Beyoncé’s performance with Dixie Chicks was a highlight of the evening and we are continuing to share the amazing full-length performance clip via our official social channels.”
Hmm. If Beyoncé’s performance was truly a highlight, it should be mentioned alongside the shares of that performance clip. Or, you know, somewhere. This all seems beyond fishy, and we expect that we haven’t heard the last of it yet.
