The Weeknd, Belly Nix ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ Set Due to Trump
The Weeknd and rapper Belly have pulled out of a scheduled performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live due to the fact that Donald Trump would be appearing in the same episode.
As the Associated Press reports, the two artists were to record their set on Wednesday in Los Angeles, but Belly nixed his appearance because he doesn’t agree with the Republican presidential candidate’s stance.
“I feel like the way I was raised was to be able to see through all the titles in this world – from religion to race,” he said in a statement. “I just didn’t want to feel like I was a part of a celebration for somebody who has beliefs that [the] majority of us don’t agree with.”
Trump did not respond to the AP‘s request for comment and the show’s representatives told AP there was no comment on the artists’ withdrawal from the show. The Weeknd also did not immediately respond to AP‘s request for comment.
The Weeknd and Belly have been frequent collaborators. Abel Tesfaye, aka the Weeknd, appears on Belly’s “Might Not.” Meanwhile, Belly co-wrote several of the Weeknd’s hits, including “Earned It,” “The Hills,” “Into the Night” and “Often.”