Tony-winning actress breaks silence after polarizing NBA Finals anthem performance

Article content

Kristin Chenoweth ended both her rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner and her night on a high note Sunday after performing at Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

But while she was thrilled to see her beloved Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA championship at home, many hoops fans weren’t very happy with the Tony Award winner’s performance of the U.S. national anthem before the game.

The Broadway great appeared to reference the backlash she received from users on social media in a couple of posts to her Instagram Stories late Sunday night.

She first posted a quote that said, “The price of authenticity is being disliked.”

Later, she followed it up with an excerpt from John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, which says: “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

Chenoweth took major heat on social media for her rendition of the U.S. national anthem ahead of the deciding game of the championship series between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Chenoweth flexed her vocal muscles while belting out The Star-Spangled Banner, which included holding an incredibly long high note at the song’s crescendo.

But while the Oklahoma native received thunderous applause from the fans in attendance, the verdict on social media was decidedly a lot more negative.

“The Kristin Chenoweth rendition of the National Anthem was a difficult listen,” one user posted on X.

“This is the worst National Anthem I ever heard,” another boldly stated.

“I would have rather listened to Fergie’s anthem performance than that one by Kristin Chenoweth,” a third user wrote, referencing the Black Eyed Peas singer’s infamous outing at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

Of course, Chenoweth didn’t seem too fazed by any of the critiques with any pain seemingly washed away by the thrill of the Thunder victory.

The actress shared a video of her post-game reaction from her seat, gleefully screaming “We did it!”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video