Demi Lovato debuted her new song “Commander in Chief” during Wednesday night’s Billboard Music Awards. Her performance of the timely single, which criticizes President Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing national protests surrounding police brutality, was reportedly censored by NBC.
During the performance, the singer pulled no punches regarding her dissatisfaction with the Trump administration.
“Commander in Chief, honestly / If I did the things you do / I couldn’t sleep, seriously,” she sings. “Do you even know the truth? / We’re in a state of crisis, people are dyin’ / While you line your pockets deep.”
Lovato sang the performance in front of a backdrop with “VOTE” spelled out in large letters. But according to the gossip news site TMZ, the message was removed for broadcast when the ceremony aired. Instead of reminding Americans to turn out to the polls in 19 days, the livestream showed a close-up of Lovato at the piano.
Sources told TMZ the network censored the message because the song was anti-Trump, and the display was interpreted as “a call to vote against him.” Representatives for NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding its reasoning.
The controversy follows a furious backlash against the Peacock network for its decision to host a town hall with Trump following his refusal to participate in a virtual debate with Joe Biden last week. During the only meeting between the candidates, Trump declined to offer a full-throated condemnation of white supremacy and did not say whether he would engage in a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election. Just hours later, Trump announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 after hosting a superspreader event at the White House.
Critics feel that giving him his own town hall — which is scheduled on Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, the exact same time as Biden’s event — rewards the president for endangering public health, especially considering that Trump has yet to release information as to whether he has tested negative for COVID.
Shakina Nayfack, a trans actress who appears on NBC’s Connecting, called out the network in a series of tweets, saying that she was “disgusted” with NBC for “giving Trump a platform for fear-mongering, bigotry & disinformation.”
“Don’t praise yourselves for putting a trans woman on primetime then give a platform to someone who wants to abolish my rights,” she wrote.
Although Lovato has not issued a formal statement condemning NBC, the singer defended her new track on Instagram after a fan criticized the singer for attacking Trump, saying she would no longer listen to her music.
“I hope you realize this makes people that don’t have the same political views feel like they can’t listen to you anymore. We could care less what you post about politics but this song is going [too far],” the user commented in a screenshot obtained by TMZ, before saying they were “personally ashamed to be a Lovatic.”
In response, Lovato doubled down, saying that she didn’t care if the song ruined her career because it stood for something she believed in.
“I’ll take integrity in my work over sales any day,” she said. “As much as I would like to be sad that I disappointed you, I’m too busy being bummed that you expect me, a queer Hispanic woman, to silence my views/beliefs in order to please my audience.”
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