Jennifer Lopez is dealing with a public relations nightmare after news of her “Happy Birthday” performance for the leader of Turkmenistan went viral. But she’s not the first celebrity to have to explain similarly disturbing performances.
Lopez performed for Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow on Saturday night for a birthday tribute concert. She sang “Happy Birthday” to the dictator, who the Human Rights Watch “repressive.” The organization found that while the country has tried to start relations with foreign governments, it has done nothing to stop human rights violations.
The “Dance Again” singer’s rep said that the concert was sponsored by China National Petroleum Corporation and not a government event, but Berdimuhamedow was in attendance. “The event was vetted by her representatives, had there been knowledge of human rights issues of any kind, Jennifer would not have attended,” the rep said.
This isn’t the first time a celebrity has had to explain why they decided to appear at an event held for a dictator. Back in October 2011, Hilary Swank, Jean-Claude Van Damme and British violinist Vanessa Mae were all criticized for going to the birthday party of Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya. Swank later apologized, saying she “deeply regretted” going.
According to Variety, Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Nelly Furtado all apologized for performing for Muammar Gaddafi’s family members. At the time, the Libyan leader had been cracking down on demonstrations, which eventually lead to his downfall and death.
“I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess,” Carey said at the time. “Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility regardless of who books our shows.”
Celebrities should probably do a bit more research before they take giant checks from foreign countries. There might be some red flags to tell them it's not a good idea.
image: ABC