Is this a new era for Tate McRae? Last year, she gave us a set of unforgettable performances, and now it looks like she’s gagging us with more iconic moments.
It’s hard to feel normal again after seeing her wrapped in gold at both Osheaga and Lollapalooza earlier this month. The Emmy-nominated star delivered some of her greatest signatures onstage and put on a stunning show we couldn’t take our eyes off. Tate surprised fans by getting covered in gold during the outro of Sports Car, and finally singing the Siren Sounds unreleased bridge, which we’ve all been anticipating.
That same week, our NOBODY’S GIRL graced the cover of Variety as part of Power of Young Hollywood. But amid all the excitement, one conversation quickly took over online — and it had nothing to do with her winning the Triple Threat Award. Instead, fans zeroed in on Tate’s response when asked about her political views. Her answer left some questioning where she actually stands politically, with many feeling that she should be more direct about her views.
So, where did this all come from, and how did Tate McRae suddenly find herself at the center of political controversy? What started with backlash over her Morgan Wallen collaboration eventually grew into questions about her rumored relationship with Jack Hughes, her views on Trump, and whether she would finally address where she stands.
From the Winter Olympics ad to her latest Variety interview, fans have continued to dissect Tate’s every move — and not everyone has been convinced by her responses. Here’s a breakdown of the controversy surrounding Tate McRae, where they started, and why fans are demanding answers.
A Breakdown of All the Controversies Surrounding Tate
Tate’s Collaboration With Morgan Wallen
A collaboration with a country singer might have seemed like a wild choice for Tate, but for our pop girl who doesn’t want to “regret anything in life,” she surely wasn’t going to miss an opportunity like this. Their song, What I Want, became a hit and landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year.
But her fanbase quickly lost interest when they noticed that their synergy didn’t feel right. To our dismay, Wallen’s music, in country fashion, is heavily conservative-leaning. He was also heavily scrutinized over using racial slurs, and his label, in turn, suspended his contract. Although Wallen isn’t vocal about his political stance, many have reasoned that he’s linked with the right wing, which obviously wasn’t great for Tate, who had recently collabed with him.
Tate’s Rumored Relationship With Jack Hughes
Tate and Jack began dating earlier this year…and let’s just say some fans weren’t pleased with the link up.
Jack, an NHL hockey player who plays for the New Jersey Devils, has been a hot topic ever since he and his teammates were invited to the White House to celebrate their victory with President Trump. When Trump made a misogynistic remark about the women’s team (who had refused to meet the president), all the male team members were seen laughing along, including Jack. Obviously, this didn’t go down too well with Tate’s supporters, with many accusing her of perhaps being MAGA.
But alas (?), news broke that Jake and Tate had split before they could even publicize their romantic status. A source told Page Six that Jack spotted some “red flags” in our Miss Possessive girly, but who even cares, because she reportedly was the one to have called it quits in the first place.
Tate’s Winter Olympics Ad
Tate, who is Canadian, surprised us with her appearance in an NBC promotional video for the U.S. athletes ahead of the Winter Olympics in February. Tate sent her best wishes to the team, but fans pointed out that she wasn’t acknowledging any Canadian athletes. This led them to question whether she was still aligned with her Canadian roots.
The star immediately shut down the conversation by posting an Instagram Story showing a young version of herself holding a Canadian flag, alongside a short caption that read, “y’all know I’m Canada down.”
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Tate’s Variety Interview
Tate’s Variety interview dropped, and everyone immediately began nit-picking her comments.
The backlash largely stemmed from the fact that she couldn’t give a clear answer about her political alignment amid the ongoing controversies surrounding Wallen and Hughes. This led some fans to speculate that she might be part of Trump’s MAGA movement.
“I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of person I am and the things I support. And I hope that my fans can see that through the things that I’m putting my energy towards,” she said.
By this, Tate appeared to be pointing to the causes and nonprofit organizations she supports, including The Trevor Project, which works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, and Global Fund for Women, where she has pledged her support for feminism and gender equality. Both causes have also fueled the argument among fans that her values obviously don’t align with Trump’s.
The Internet Debates Over Tate’s Controversies
The internet didn’t waste a single second expressing its disappointment. Fans have been asking why Tate can’t give a straight answer, with some feeling that her responses only sent them into more of a spiral. For them, all she needs to do is give a simple “yes” or “no.”
“Saying anything but a straight up no like whats her issue,” one user said. Another commenter added, “Okay but is it really that hard to say ‘no, i’m not maga’ like ???? genuinely.” Someone else shared their thoughts: “Bro just say you’re not MAGA. The Wallen collab, the quiet on the Trump joke, the whole ‘look at my charities’ dodge. if it was really that obvious you wouldn’t be this scared to shut the label down.”
There’s also a handful of commenters who reiterated that her team is diversified and that she’s “Canada down.” “She surrounds herself with the girls and the gays, black and all types of people… she is a woke princess she can never be maga plus she’s Canada down,” one fan stated. Others said, “It still pisses me off sometimes how people call her a maga when she didn’t even do anything to make her one when its just one collab.”
Should the Pop Girlies Speak Up On Politics?
As far as what’s been said out there, our pop girlies have such towering fame that they can have an impact on people and their views on everything, including politics and what they stand for. Celebrities, as everyone knows, are primarily focused on providing entertainment. But once they step back for a little while to protect their status, when things shift toward politics, criticism becomes more prevalent, and the public begins questioning their silence, neutrality, or lack of clarity.
Chappell Roan, for example, was pressured by online critics when she preferred not to publicly state her endorsement or who she was going to vote for in 2024. To settle it once and for all, she confessed on TikTok that she was “voting for f*cking Kamala.”
Take Sabrina Carpenter, who also doesn’t have an official political leaning, but reassured fans after a devastating election loss (pertaining to Kamala) during her performance at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, saying, “Sorry about our country and to the women here, I love you so, so, so much.” She’s also the artist who has urged people to register to vote the most, according to HeadCount. She also condemned the White House for using her song Juno during its controversial acts. Things like that will definitely tell you exactly what they’re standing up for.
And even though it isn’t clear which political affiliation they have on their side, the liberal involvement of these celebs can give us a visible answer depending on their approach.
In this era, we demand straightforward answers from our pop stars on crucial matters, which can divert their focus from their actual job as entertainers. But that doesn’t mean that they will stray away from using their platforms to uplift marginalized voices through their music. Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny, and Billie Eilish are among the artists who are brave enough to challenge the system, encouraging young people to express their sentiments and not be afraid to speak up and manifest positive change.
Fans may not have heard a very clear “no” from Tate, and her response may come off as merry-go-round-esque, but the good causes she supports should give the majority a chance to be reminded that those advocacies are much louder than their burning demands and whatever labels they put on her.
Beyond that, I’m just going to continue watching her performances through fans’ different POVs and go along with their reactions.
Release that missing bridge from Siren Sounds on Spotify, Tate! I’m counting on you.
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