- Everyone is talking about Beyoncé at the Democratic National Convention
- A source told DailyMail.com that her name is on the backstage security list.
- READ MORE: Democratic National Convention LIVE
Everyone is talking about it at the Democratic National Convention, but no one knows if it is a rumor or reality.
Beyoncé will enter the 2024 political race by performing her hit Freedom ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination speech on Thursday night.
Fans have tried to make Beyoncé and Taylor Swift’s support a reality, with more than 70,000 followers signing a MoveOn.org petition calling on the two stars to step forward.
But it’s Queen Bey who has been on everyone’s lips during the four-day convention in Chicago, with one state Democratic Party chair openly telling reporters she would attend.
Campaign sources, convention organizers and even a Beyoncé publicist who reached out to DailyMail.com for no response, but one source said the star’s name is on the backstage security list for Thursday night.
Beyoncé (left) during her only appearance in the 2016 campaign in support of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. She and her husband Jay Z (right) performed a concert in support of Clinton in Cleveland just days before the election
Vice President Kamala Harris (left) will officially accept the Democratic nomination on Thursday evening. There have been rumors all week that Beyoncé will perform on stage before the ceremony.
A Beyoncé cameo would create a hat trick of the country’s most powerful Black women supporting Harris, following former first lady Michelle Obama’s speech Tuesday night and Oprah’s endorsement of Harris on Wednesday.
Beyoncé had already shown her support for Harris by allowing the vice president to use Freedom in her campaign ads and at rallies. She threatened to send a cease and desist order to the Trump campaign after the same song was used on Trump’s social media.
And DailyMail.com reported earlier this month that Beyoncé was planning to attend a fundraising event for the Democratic candidate.
Convention organizers have already managed to pull off one surprise: Lil Jon’s appearance representing Georgia during Tuesday night’s music roll call.
Ashley Spillane, former director of Rock the Vote and the mastermind behind the rapper’s appearance, said they were able to keep it quiet because only a small circle of people knew the rapper was coming.
“He didn’t go to soundcheck the other day,” Spillane also told DailyMail.com.
Most of the artists participating in the convention have already done a microphone test earlier in the day.
The convention’s most viral moment so far — Lil Jon’s spirited appearance during the music roll call on Tuesday — was kept secret because only a small group of people knew about it and he didn’t show up for the mic check.
That’s how reporters learned that James Taylor was expected to perform, and then he was removed from the schedule on the first day because the show ran too long.
It lasted so long that President Joe Biden’s swansong speech ended after midnight on the East Coast.
During sound checks Thursday, attendees and those watching the convention from home searched for any hint that the “Cowboy Carter” singer would grace Chicago with her presence.
A drum line accompanied her performance, further adding to the excitement that Beyoncé might be coming.
The Democratic National Convention was far more Hollywood-friendly than its Republican counterpart, which featured Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan as its top VIP celebrities.
Scandal star Kerry Washington is photographed during her dress rehearsal at the United Center on Thursday ahead of her hosting gig for the evening.
Actress Eva Longoria was also spotted on stage during sound checks on Thursday.
Just on Thursday, Scandal’s Kerry Washington did her mic test.
She was seen practicing a bit with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’ great-nieces: Meena Harris’ daughters Leela and Amara.
“Hey, hey, I don’t want to say this part. I don’t want people to hear it,” Washington joked during the microphone test, another sign that there could be more surprise guests at the convention.
Actress Eva Longoria watched Washington’s sound check and then did her own.
Later that afternoon, Pink appeared on stage and sang her hit, What About Us, several times.
The Chicks are also expected to perform the National Anthem on Thursday night.
