Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group D - United States v Paraguay - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 12, 2026 Singers Katy Perry and Tius Luka perform during the opening ceremony before the match REUTERS/Lisi Niesner TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Katy Perry declined an invitation to perform at President Donald Trump's America250 celebrations at Cinquantenaire Park in Belgium, prompting a public rebuke from Ambassador Bill White.
According to reporting by the Daily Beast, the invite-only event featured performances by Zac Brown Band and Alexis Wilkins, FBI Director Kash Patel's girlfriend and a country music artist.
Perry was already contracted to headline Belgium's Werchter Boutique festival that same weekend, which was subsequently canceled due to bad weather.
Belgium's U.S. ambassador criticized Perry before the crowd, "So we were gonna have Katy Perry. Who cares?" White told the crowd. He then made a crass joke about karma.
In February, White had acknowledged Perry's festival contract but indicated organizers would attempt to secure her appearance anyway. He told a Belgian news outlet, Perry's contractual obligations prevented her from discussing other Belgian events until the concert sold out, leaving open the possibility she might perform the following evening.
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