Bill Maher Issues Blunt Takedown of Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 Concert Series Lineup

What To Know

• Bill Maher mocked the Freedom 250 concert series lineup.
• Many artists, including The Commodores, Morris Day, Martina McBride, and Bret Michaels, dropped out.
• Despite the controversy and withdrawals, Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice have confirmed they will still perform.

Bill Maher just issued a blunt takedown of President Donald Trump‘s Freedom 250 concert series lineup.

During the opening monologue of the Friday, May 29 episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, the late-night host took aim at the upcoming event. The Great American State Fair will be held from June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

“We’re having a big 250th birthday party for America, a concert,” Maher pointed out. “They announced the lineup. Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, Morris Day, Bret Michaels.

Maher then quipped, “I think this is very admirable about the president; it shows he’s concerned for the unemployed.”

He continued, “And then, after they announced this all-star lineup, a lot of them said, ‘No, what are you talking about? We’re not playing.’ That’s got to hurt a lot when you can’t close the deal with Milli Vanilli.”

Although the concert series is organized by Freedom 250, a nonpartisan nonprofit, the private-public event is backed by Trump. This revelation prompted many of the musical acts to drop out shortly after the lineup was announced. As of writing, those no longer performing include The Commodores, Young MC, Morris Day of Morris Day and The Time, Martina McBride, and Bret Michaels.

“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event, but that turned out to be misleading,” McBride said in part, in an Instagram post announcing that she’s dropping out of the Great American State Fair.

Meanwhile, Michaels said in his own Instagram update, “When this opportunity was originally presented to my 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…. Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.”

However, Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice have both publicly confirmed that they will perform at the Freedom 250 concert series.

What do you think of the event and artists dropping out?

Real Time With Bill Maher, Fridays at 10/9c, HBO