Countless fans are upset with Nicole Scherzinger following a comment she made on Russell Brand’s recent Instagram post, which appeared to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election.
Though the Republican president-elect wasn’t mentioned by name in the comedian’s post, Brand did share a photo of himself smiling with a red “Make Jesus First Again” baseball cap — which appears to be inspired by Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” hats — and wrote “God Bless America” in his caption Tuesday (Nov. 5), the same day the former reality star secured his second term in the White House. In a since-deleted comment, the ex-Pussycat Dolls frontwoman wrote, “Where do I get this hat?”
Billboard has reached out to Scherzinger’s reps for comment.
It isn’t clear whether Scherzinger simply wanted to praise the hat’s religious message or if her comment was intended as an endorsement of Trump, but Brand has been famously outspoken in his support for the polarizing twice-impeached POTUS. In recent years, the Hop star has shifted from acting to a career in conservative political commentary, and immediately after his post with the hat, Brand — who is English, not American — celebrated Trump’s victory on Instagram by writing, “DONALD TRUMP HAS WON THE ELECTION.”
At a time when many of Scherzinger’s peers have been sharing their disappointment over Trump’s win against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, many fans have taken the former X-Factor judge’s comment on Brand’s post to heart. “Nicole Scherzinger being a trumpie was NOT on my bingo card,” one person tweeted Thursday (Nov. 8).
“If Nicole Scherzinger had really posted this, it had to be the most unbelievably stupid career moment I have ever seen,” another person wrote on X. “It took her 20 years for people to take her seriously & she just ended her career high momentum.”
Other fans, however, expressed wanting to give the “Where You Are” singer the benefit of the doubt. “I don’t think this is Nicole Scherzinger coming out as a Trump supporter—I think she is just an annoying christian,” one person tweeted, while another user wrote, “Nicole scherzinger might be a trumpie but she may also just be Christian and stupid.”
The controversy comes amid a career highpoint for Scherzinger, whose performance in Broadway’s ongoing Sunset Blvd. has earned her both critical praise and an Olivier award. The artist has also been generating Tony buzz, and the show’s soundtrack recently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart.
In a recent interview with Billboard, legendary composer and Sunset Blvd. maestro Andrew Lloyd Webber praised Scherzinger’s talents as “one of a kind.” “I don’t think there’s any singer I know who can interpret and act through music in the way that she can,” he added. “I mean, I’ve known some very, very great ones, but she’s absolutely extraordinary.”
