“We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”
It’s considered a huge honor to be invited to the nation’s capital to attend an event at the White House — but not everyone feels that way. While celebrities are often invited to attend presidential events, they don’t always accept the invitations. While some stars simply can’t make it work in their schedule, others turn down the invite for personal reasons, like not agreeing with how the current administration is running the country. Regardless of why they chose not to attend, these celebs all feel that they made the right choice for themselves.
Find out why these celebs turned down White House invites…
1. Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan shared a poignant message when she recently performed at a music festival in New York. While dressed as the Statue of Liberty, she recited the poem written on the statue’s base which in part reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
“That means freedom in trans rights. That means freedom in women’s rights. And it especially means freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories,” Chappell said on stage before later addressing her invitation to perform at Pride at the White House.
Chappell continued, “In response to the White House, who asked me to perform for Pride. We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”
2. Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton says she’s been asked to visit the White House to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom on several occasions but has turned them down. When Donald Trump first invited her, Dolly’s husband was sick and the second time, she didn’t feel comfortable traveling because of COVID. According to Dolly, president Joe Biden still wants to give her the award but she thinks accepting it would now be too political.
“I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill, and then they asked me again about it, and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID,” she told the Today show. “Now I feel like if I take it, I’ll be doing politics, so I’m not sure. But I don’t work for those awards. It’d be nice but I’m not sure that I even deserve it. But it’s a nice compliment for people to think that I might deserve it.”
3. Steph Curry
In 2017, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championships and the team was invited to visit the White House by Donald Trump. In response, Steph shared that he didn’t want to accept the invite, explaining that he didn’t agree with many of the things that the then-president had done.
“We don’t stand for basically what our president has — the things that he’s said and the things that he hasn’t said in the right times, that we won’t stand for it. And by acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country and what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye to,” Steph said during a press conference. “I don’t think us not going to the White House is going to miraculously make everything better, but this is my opportunity to voice that.”
In response, Donald withdrew the invitation, writing, “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!”
4. Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli was allegedly invited to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017 but he ultimately turned it down. According to Page Six, a source said Andrea felt he was “getting too much heat” and wouldn’t take the gig.
Meanwhile, Tom Barrack, the chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, claimed to CNBC that Andrea had never actually been invited — and it was Andrea who offered to perform. He says Donald was the one who turned down Andrea’s offer.
5. Dean Martin
Although Dean Martin had helped campaign for John F. Kennedy’s presidency, he allegedly turned down an invitation to his inauguration. According to Dean’s daughter Deana Martin, he didn’t want to attend because not all members of the famed Rat Pack were invited. JFK had reportedly not invited Sammy Davis Jr. because he had just married white actress May Britt and he was concerned that an interracial couple would upset some Americans.
“Sammy Davis Jr. helped to get JFK elected and then JFK and his campaign decided to pay Sammy back by not allowing him to go to the inauguration because he was part of an interracial marriage. It was Dean Martin who stood up for his friend and said, ‘I’m not going to be part of the inauguration if Sammy isn’t going,’” Dean Martin: King of Cool director Tom Donahue told Fox News.
Deana added, “He was family. So it was pretty remarkable. My dad was going to take a stand because it was the right thing to do. It didn’t matter what JFK or anyone else was going to think of him. This is Sammy Davis Jr. and that was his friend. And for family to not be invited for those reasons made my father very upset. He just said, ‘It’s not right. I’m not going.’ And that was it. He wouldn’t think about it anymore.”
6. One Direction
Early in their career, One Direction was invited to visit the White House by Michelle Obama. The group had met her at the 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards and she had reportedly asked them to perform during the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House. Unfortunately, the group was on tour in Australia and had to turn it down.
7. Rupi Kaur
In 2023, poet Rupi Kaur was allegedly invited to attend a Diwali event being hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. In response, Rupi turned down the invitation in opposition to the Biden administration’s response to the situation unfolding in Palestine. In a poignant letter on social media, Rupi wrote that she was “surprised this administration finds it acceptable to celebrate Diwali, when their support of the current atrocities against Palestinians represent the exact opposite of what this holiday means to many of us.”
“I implore my South Asian community to hold this administration accountable. As a Sikh woman, I will not allow my likeness to be used in whitewashing this administration’s actions. I refuse any invitation from an institution that supports the collective punishment of a trapped civilian population—50% of whom are children,” she wrote.
8. Tom Brady
Tom Brady has skipped out on White House events on several occasions. When the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2015, he did not attend the celebrations in the nation’s capital. Then in 2017, when the team won again, he turned down the invite, explaining he was reportedly spending time with an ill family member.
“I am so happy and excited that our team is being honored at the White House today…Thank you to the President for hosting this honorary celebration and for supporting our team for as long as I can remember. In light of some recent developments, I am unable to attend today’s ceremony, as I am attending to some personal family matters,” he said in a statement.
9. Elton John
Ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, White House communication director Anthony Scaramucci claimed that Elton John had accepted an invitation to play at the event. Elton, who had long stated that he did not support Donald’s presidency, had a rep quickly “categorically deny” the reports.
“There is no truth in this at all,” his rep told BBC News.
10. Rebecca Ferguson
Singer Rebecca Ferguson — not to be confused with the Dune actress — said she was also asked to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration and at first, she actually agreed under the condition that she could perform the song “Strange Fruit.” She explained that it was a controversial but historically important Billie Holiday song that “speaks to all the disregarded and down trodden Black people in the United States. A song that is a reminder of how love is the only thing that will conquer all the hatred in this world.”
A week later, Rebecca revealed that she would not be performing at the inauguration, sharing that she wasn’t comfortable with the song that was chosen on her behalf.
“Although I’m very blessed to have a gift that gives me amazing opportunities, as a mother and an artist, I had to defend my stance,” Rebecca said in a statement. “I requested to sing ‘Strange Fruit’ as I felt it was the only song that would not compromise my artistic integrity and also as somebody who has a lot of love for all people, but has a special empathy as well for African American people and the #blacklivesmatter movement, I wanted to create a moment of pause for people to reflect.”
11. Michael Jordan
When the Chicago Bulls won their first NBA title in 1991, Michael Jordan didn’t show up to the White House celebrations with then-President George H.W. Bush. At the time, it was said that Michael was on a long planned family vacation but he didn’t take kindly to questions about his absence.
“It’s none of your business. If you want to ask me what I did, I don’t have to tell you,” he said during a press conference. “When the team came to us about going to the White House, I already had plans set and I didn’t feel it was fair to change plans at that particular time. It wasn’t my intention to disrespect anyone, but I’ve seen George Bush before. I don’t think he was different from the last time I met him. It’s just that last time he was vice president … How can I disrespect the president when I choose to spend time with my family. The president should understand that. He has a family.”
It was later revealed that Michael was playing golf with James “Slim” Bouler at the time of the event.
12. Stormy Daniels
Stormy Daniels has had a complicated relationship with Donald Trump but she’s actually been invited to the White House. According to her lawyer Michael Avenatti, she reportedly received multiple invitations from media companies to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2018. She turned down the invitations.