Bret Michaels is the latest performer to drop out of the Great American State Fair‘s “Freedom 250” concert!
The former Poison frontman made the announcement on Instagram on Thursday, saying he bailed on the celebration of America’s 250th birthday after being misled about Donald Trump backing the event. Bret wrote:
“When this opportunity was originally presented to my team, it was described as a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life. As a son of a veteran, and coming from a family that has proudly served, that is something I have always been honored to support. … Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.”
The singer expressed that “concerns have also been raised regarding the safety” of the fans, band, crew, family, and himself after receiving “unfounded and unforgivable” threats. While Bret insisted that “this isn’t about politics,” he had no choice but “to take threats and safety concerns seriously.” Swipe to read the entire statement (below):
View this post on Instagram
Bret isn’t the only performer who claimed to have been misled about the concert. Martina McBride issued a similar statement that same day while announcing her exit, too!
— Martina McBride (@martinamcbride) May 29, 2026
Morris Day, Young MC, Milli Vanilli, and The Commodores also quit the show this week. However, Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan later claimed he will be there. We’ll see if he actually shows up. But that really leaves only Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida, and C&C Music Factory performing now!
Trump won’t be happy about these developments! Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments!
[Image via Mr. Blue/MEGA/WENN]
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