Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, and C+C Music Factory have exited the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair after artists said the event failed to stay nonpartisan—just a month before July 4 and the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The Freedom 250 celebration was supposed to feel like a state-fair-sized dose of unity. Instead, the lineup started to unravel, with multiple major artists stepping back from the Great American State Fair over complaints that the event wouldn’t stay nonpartisan.
The event is scheduled to take place roughly one month from now, before July 4, in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary. But as those artists’ posts spread, the same sticking point kept surfacing: they say what they were promised didn’t match what they believed the fair had become.
Martina McBride was the first to announce her exit on May 29, 2026. In a social media statement, she wrote, “I would like to talk to you and clear the air. I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th.”
McBride said she was “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event,” but that it “turned out to be misleading.” She added that she asked questions and was “assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states.”
She described how she originally saw the show as a way to honor the country’s states and bring people together through music. “In my mind. I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the way that only music can. ” she wrote. She also said she was picturing something like the “bigger version” of state fairs she’s performed at over the years—community-focused and aimed at celebrating what makes each state special.
Then, she said, the situation changed. “Yesterday, things started changing, and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.”
McBride also addressed her fans directly, writing that “I’ve spent my entire career singing songs about real people with real issues,” and that it “greatly upsets” her that any fans “may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs.” She added, “I assure you that is not the case.”
“I hope to get back to the DC area very soon,” she wrote, after thanking every fan who reached out.
Bret Michaels, meanwhile, framed his decision around how the event evolved from what he said he agreed to.
In an Instagram statement. Michael wrote that when the opportunity was first presented to his team. it was described as “a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans. active military. first responders. teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life.” But he said it “has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.”.
He also pointed to safety concerns, saying “concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself,” including “threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.” Michaels said those concerns led him to step away from the performance.
Young MC added his own exit through a Facebook post. “I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” he wrote, before adding that “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.”
He went further, saying that despite the organizers’ claim that the event is “non-partisan,” SPIN magazine describes it as “Trump-backed.” Young MC said he hoped to perform in D.C. again “at an event that is not so politically charged.”
C+C Music Factory’s Freedom Williams said in a video post that he told his agent to pull him from the event because he was not told about its political connection.
Williams said, “He didn’t mention Trump. I’m getting all these texts, ‘We’re going to cancel C+C Music Factory, this is going to be a terrible show,’” before explaining that he told his agent he wouldn’t take the gig. He said, “So I told my agent, yeah, no, I ain’t good to do that.”
In the same video. Williams said he does not support Trump and described the kind of chaos he associates with him. “I don’t f**k with Trump. I don’t give a f**k about Trump,” he said. “I know the type of f**king anarchy he creates. But the day I let you motherf**kers tell me what to do is the day I die.”.
With the fair still set for before July 4 and the United States’ 250th anniversary. the backlash is now spilling beyond any single artist. One by one. performers are citing the same breach: what was pitched as a nonpartisan celebration is. in their view. turning into something else—fast enough that they’re stepping away before June 25 arrives.
Freedom 250 Great American State Fair Martina McBride Bret Michaels Young MC C+C Music Factory Freedom Williams United States 250th anniversary June 25 July 4 nonpartisan