Beyoncé fans flooded the internet with memes after she was rumored to be performing at the Democratic National Convention, but did not show up.
There was speculation that the pop megastar would appear to endorse Kamala Harris for president and sing for the convention crowd on Thursday night.
Hours before Harris’s nomination speech, TMZ claimed that Beyoncé was in fact a guest star, after allowing Harris’ campaign to use her song Freedom in its ads.
But then Rival outlet, Hollywood Reporter reported that a cameo was never planned, citing a spokesperson.
Beyoncé’s longtime publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, republished The Hollywood Reporter’s account after ignoring inquiries from media outlets including DailyMail.com.
The pop culture-filled Democratic National Convention ended in disappointment when a rumor that Beyoncé would appear before Vice President Kamala Harris never materialized.
It is not clear exactly how the rumor started, nor why it was never given cold water until the last minute.
The memes started off in earnest, as usual, joking about how Beyoncé arrived but changed her mind in the parking lot and left, or slept through the convention.
Another image showed the singer and Taylor Swift eating popcorn in an empty theater, joking that they were watching the Democratic National Convention from home.
Others showed clips of Joe Biden angrily denouncing Donald Trump in a speech as if he were attacking whoever started the Beyoncé rumor.
The memes started off in earnest, as usual, joking about how Beyoncé arrived but changed her mind in the parking lot and left, or slept through the convention.
Another showed the singer and Taylor Swift eating popcorn in an empty theater, joking that they were watching the Democratic National Convention from home.
TMZ eventually admitted that “we were wrong about this” and that it was carried away by false rumors.
Another had a clip from the TV show Succession with Roman Roy growing increasingly concerned as a flood of emails appeared in his inbox, joking that he was the DNC’s social media manager watching the mounting speculation on Twitter.
However, more memes claimed that the DNC started the rumor so that people would actually watch the convention, and some confessed that it worked for them.
One publication noted that there were many other events this year that Beyoncé was wrongly rumored to attend, including the Olympics and Coachella.
TMZ eventually admitted that “we were wrong about this” and that it was carried away by the false rumors.
A Republican spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee, JP Freire, suggested that Democrats “duped” people into watching the Democratic National Convention with the Beyoncé buzz.
Some joked — while others were more serious about criticizing it — that Democrats used Beyoncé as bait to get Americans to tune in to their convention.
“Have you noticed how you were tricked into thinking there was a special guest and staying?” asked JP Freire, a Republican spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee. “What do you think his approach will be on policy?”
One user posted a video clip of President Joe Biden attending the first night of the convention and then leaving for a vacation in California, commenting: “who started the Beyoncé as a special DNC guest rumor.”
“Who the hell does he think he is? Who does he think he is?” Biden roars.
Another X user posted a video of actor Kieran Culkin watching his computer go crazy.
“The guy who runs the DNC’s social media accounts, watching as speculation swirls about a surprise appearance by TayTay and Beyoncé while George W. Bush is backstage painting a watercolor of Kamala,” the post read.
Journalists joked that there was a special guest and the audience missed it.
“I can’t believe the special guest was Leon Panetta,” Puck News’ Peter Hamby wrote. “I’ll always remember where he was.”
Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report joked: “The special guests were the friends we made along the way.”
Before Beyoncé failed to perform, Republican Senator Mitt Romney joked that he wasn’t the Democrats’ special guest.
“Contrary to what the fake news is saying, I will not be the surprise guest at tonight’s Democratic National Convention,” Romney posted. “I’m guessing it will be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. How disappointing, I know!”