Chrisette Michele is speaking out about being “canceled.”
On Monday (Aug. 30), TV host Jawn Murray called for the “If I Have My Way” singer to be uncanceled after seeing the overwhelming support Kanye West received for his Donda album — even though he openly supported Donald Trump by endorsing him and rocking a MAGA hat and ran for president to try to sway the 2020 election.
Michele reposted Murray’s tweet and questioned why her career didn’t soar like her male counterparts after she sang at Trump’s inauguration. “I always wonder how to respond to this question,” she captioned the post.
“It’s actually the reason I don’t do interviews anymore. Being compared to Kanye & Travis [Greene] for the last 5 years. Watching them soar into the highest realms of stardom. Waiting on God’s hand to show me exactly what my story will look like,” she added. “I’ve made a choice to stay full of gratitude and master peace, but today, this post has inspired me to allow the energy of comparison to enter my feed.”
The “Epiphany” singer then questioned what role her gender had in her being canceled. “Would you release new music if you were me?” she asked. “What would you sing about? Who would you sing to? Why? What does my role as FEMALE play in this story? What about my role as Christian? How about my role as it compares to Kanye & Travis?”
Michele ultimately sang at Trump’s inauguration to try to unite the country that was so divided at the time. However, a lot of people — especially in the Black community — wanted nothing to do with her or her music afterward. Following the performance, Spike Lee reportedly scrapped her song “Black Girl Magic” from his Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It” because he didn’t want to feel “misrepresented.” She also received death threats, lost a record deal and radio stations refused to play her music.
West, on the other hand, has been able to elevate his career — in both music and fashion. Donda, his latest LP, broke a Spotify streaming record and is the biggest debut of 2021 so far. His Yeezy shoes sell out within seconds during every release and his forthcoming collaboration with Gap is projected to bring in millions.
Check out Michele’s full Instagram post below.