Wendy Williams Asks If Jay-Z & Beyoncé ‘Don’t Like Our Country’ After They Sat During The National Anthem

Beyoncé and Jay-Z generated some controversy last night when they opted to sit rather than stand for Demi Lovato‘s performance of the national anthem before Super Bowl LIV. Talk show host Wendy Williams sounded off on their decision during an episode of The Wendy Williams Show earlier today, reports Hollywood Life.

During the “Hot Topics” segment of her show, she said that both Jay-Z and Beyoncé are in an extremely influential position and that “all eyes were on” them and they “should’ve stood up.” She went on to suggest that the superstar couple may not like living in America.

Williams was wearing a dress from Beyoncé’s Adidas x IVY PARK line for the duration of the episode.

Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and their daughter, Blue Ivy, all neglected to stand during the anthem, as photographs were taken of the family remaining in their seats from the VIP area.

Per Hollywood Life, the most likely reason for their sitting down during the anthem is due to their solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, who famously took a knee during the anthem in 2016 to promote awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. Unfortunately for Kaepernick, his decision was seen as the reason why he hasn’t been signed by an NFL team since 2017, but it also led to a national protest.

“I don’t know about you, and our country may be in a bad way, but there’s no place I’d rather live than in America,” Williams said.

People on social media didn’t think Williams was being entirely fair in her criticism. The majority of users thought she was in the wrong for going on national television and saying something negative about the couple’s decision. At least one user pointed out the hypocrisy of the host commenting on Beyoncé’s refusal to stand while wearing a dress she designed.

“I know good and well Wendy Williams didn’t just sit on national tv and criticize Beyoncé & Jay-Z for not standing WHILE wearing an Ivy Park dress, and then looked at the camera and basically said they could leave if they don’t like this country,” wrote one Twitter user.

“Wendy Williams said that Jay Z and Beyoncé don’t love the country because they didn’t stand for the anthem. Let’s just throw everything away,” tweeted activist DeRay Mckesson.

However, Williams wasn’t the only public figure who felt the celebrity couple were in the wrong for not standing during Lovato’s performance, as Tomi Lahren, Wayne Dupree, and Brigitte Gabriel also agreed with her sentiments.