Rod Stewart, the 79-year-old legendary singer, recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons during his Las Vegas performance at the Colosseum, which began on July 24 and is set to conclude on August 7. Stewart, who earlier this year faced mixed reactions for flying a Ukrainian flag in Germany, found himself once again in the spotlight for his out-of-touch antics.
During his performance, Stewart abruptly halted the show in front of thousands of fans to display a meme on the huge screen behind him. The meme featured a series of images of Donald Trump over the years, showing his skin color changing from a paler shade to a tangerine-like hue. The caption of the meme referenced Trump's comments about fellow US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, where Trump remarked he was unaware Harris was Black until “all of a sudden, she made a turn and she went… she became a Black person.”
The tweet Stewart projected began: “I didn’t know he was orange until a number of years ago, when he happened to turn orange.” The audience's reaction was mixed, with some fans laughing while others seemed uncomfortable or bewildered by the out-of-place joke.
Adding to the controversy, Kamala Harris has long identified with her Indian heritage before more prominently embracing her Black identity as her political career progressed. This aspect of her identity has been a point of discussion and misunderstanding among the public. A tweet by Gain of Fauci (@DschlopesIsBack) highlighted this with a reminder of a 2017 Associated Press article titled "Indian-American Members of Congress Sworn In," noting Joe Biden swearing in Kamala Harris.
While Stewart’s musical talents continue to draw crowds, his recent foray into political humor suggests he might be out of touch with the current political climate and his audience's expectations.
