Fergie’s rendition of the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game was one for the ages — in the worst way possible.
The onetime Black Eyed Peas singer took the court before the annual showcase of the NBA’s best players, delivering an all-over-the-place version of the “Star Spangled Banner” that was instantly referred to as one of the worst renditions of the song ever. It was so bad, cameras caught NBA star Draymond Green and late night host Jimmy Kimmel unable to control their laughter at the spectacle.
The online reaction was pretty immediate. As E! News reported, many fans took to social media to express their opinion, which was very one-sided. Nearly all agreed that it was one of the worst renditions of the song they had ever heard, and it was clear those in the arena agreed. As Fergie built toward the rousing finale of the song, the crowd could be heard laughing at the quiet points in the song.
Fergie’s name was among the top trending terms on Twitter in the hour after she delivered the national anthem as well, growing even more popular than the game itself. Clips of the video — especially of Draymond Green’s hilarious reaction — have spread across the internet as well.
Viewers slam #Fergie ‘s National Anthem performance at #NBAAllStar game as “worst rendition ever” https://t.co/F4vWVPjGom pic.twitter.com/QFZ6UVjEi0
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 19, 2018
For those who have not seen it yet, Fergie’s version of the national anthem can be seen below.
It’s not clear yet where Fergie’s version of the national anthem would fit among the pantheon of all-time bad performances. While it may have the internet’s attention at the moment, there would likely be some heated competition for the true worst of all time. There’s still a special place for Roseanne Barr’s screeching, off-key version of the song at a that ended with her spitting a lougie into the dirt in front of her.
Olympic star Carl Lewis had his own terrible rendition of the song before an NBA game, one that had ESPN anchor Charlie Steiner in stitches.
There are actually many, many more historically bad national anthem performances to add to the list. This 13-minute video has a host of other contenders for the worst version of the song of all time, including singers who forgot the lyrics or simply made up their own lyrics.
Is Fergie’s version of the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game really worse than Roseanne Barr or Carl Lewis? Only time will tell.