Megyn Kelly tore into Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair after a wave of artists backed out, leaving organizers with a shrinking lineup and prompting fresh political tension involving President Donald Trump.
Megyn Kelly didn’t wait for the dust to settle—she went after the whole Freedom 250 rollout while the festival’s lineup kept unraveling.
On her “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast. the conservative media personality branded the Great American State Fair a “disaster from start to finish. ” pointing to the mounting fallout after performers began pulling out. The event—organized by Freedom 250. a public-private initiative aligned with the White House—was originally marketed as a patriotic celebration in Washington. D.C. marking the nation’s semiquincentennial. with performances from nine artists. Instead, the majority of those acts have since withdrawn.
Kelly said she tried to find anyone defending the festival online. “I tried to find somebody defending it,” she explained. “I went to the Republicans, whom I follow on X, and trust me, I follow thousands of them. They were all ripping it, too. No one was impressed.” She added that the reaction was so uniformly negative that people treated the plan “like a joke.”.
She suggested performers were spooked by backlash tied to the event’s growing association with President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. “I think they saw the universal reaction to this lineup as, I’m sorry, pathetic,” Kelly said. “It was a very negative reaction across the board. and they said. ‘Oh my God. I can’t be a part of that.’”.
Several artists have publicly distanced themselves from the festival since the lineup was unveiled. including Martina McBride. Bret Michaels. Morris Day. Milli Vanilli. The Commodores and Young MC. McBride said she was initially led to believe the concert would be a nonpartisan celebration before later learning of its political ties.
Freedom 250’s national birthday messaging is complicated by competing efforts. The nation’s 250th birthday is being marked by two different organizations: Freedom 250. connected to the Trump White House. is planning high-profile events in Washington. while America250 was established by Congress to oversee broader. nonpartisan commemorations nationwide.
As artists moved away from the plan. Kelly described the scramble behind the scenes—people watching each other’s decisions and bracing for what critics might say next. “Everyone’s looking at each other thinking you’re the one they’re talking about when they say it’s pathetic. you’re the one they’re talking about when they say it’s lame. not me. and I can’t be associated with you losers. ” she said.
With the mass exit, organizers are now left with just three performers currently listed on the bill: C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida.
Trump, meanwhile, is not letting the criticism go unanswered. The president said he was considering replacing the Great American State Fair’s performers with a Make America Great Again rally. suggesting he could be the main attraction instead. His remarks have drawn accusations that he’s politicizing America’s birthday celebrations.
Still, not every act is walking away.
C+C Music Factory frontman Freedom Williams is among the holdouts. and he recently defended his decision to perform—even while making it clear he’s no fan of Trump. Williams said his booking agent never mentioned Trump when arranging the show, though he acknowledged receiving angry messages from critics. “We’re gonna cancel C+C Music Factory, this is going to be a terrible show,” he recalled being told.
Then Williams made his stance blunt. “I don’t f*** with Trump. I don’t give a f*** about Trump,” he said. “I know the type of f****** anarchy he creates. But the day I let you motherf****** tell me what to do is the day I die.”
Megyn Kelly Freedom 250 Great American State Fair Donald Trump The Megyn Kelly Show podcast Martina McBride Bret Michaels Morris Day Milli Vanilli The Commodores Young MC C+C Music Factory Vanilla Ice Flo Rida Freedom Williams America250 semiquincentennial