Elon Musk Responds to Hayley Williams Anti-Trump Controversy at Paramore Show

Paramore‘s Hayley Williams used the concert stage at Las Vegas’ iHeartRadio Music Festival Friday (Sept. 20) to share her thoughts on Donald Trump and the pending presidential election during a mid-song message to fans, and in the aftermath X head honcho Elon Musk joined in the conversation that criticized her over reading from cue cards.

What Hayley Williams Had to. Say About Donald Trump

As it was a radio festival, Paramore played a brief set for those in attendance. Their five-song performance included the track “Big Man, Little Dignity” with was the penultimate song in their setlist for the night. In the midst of the performance, Williams found her way to the front of the stage speaking directly into the camera to deliver her message.

“Project 2025 is Donald Trump’s playbook for controlling and punishing women, poor people, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community,” the singer started. “It is time for all Americans to band together and to finally defeat the Trump agenda. And the only way to do that is by confronting him at the polls.”

She continued, while pointing toward the camera, “Do you want to live in a dictatorship? Well shut up and vote!”

What Elon Musk Said

As video of Williams speech made the rounds on social media, X owner and Executive Chair Elon Musk got in on the conversation sharing a post from someone who had another camera angle of Williams’ speech.

“She was reading from cue cards,” noted Musk. The cue cards he spoke of were clearly in view in the video shared, just to to the side of the camera that was filming Williams.

The person who had initially shared the video was even more critical of the singer, adding in their commentary, “When you realize that these people are ALL paid actors for hire and the Romans treated actors as the lowest members of society on the same level as sanitation and prostitution, everything falls into place.”

How Hayley Williams Addressed the Cue Card Controversy

After the initial discussion on social media focused on Williams speech and the secondary discussion that followed then turned to criticism over her use of cue cards and what it could mean, the Paramore singer then addressed the controversy through her Instagram Stories (Williams bowed out of all other social media in 2021).

In her response, she stated, “Whoever you are, I typed out my speech and had a crew member hold it near the camera for me in case I got nervous bc what I had to say was important and I didn’t want to trip up in the moment, didn’t end up looking at it though … that’s because I prepared.”

She continued, “Finally, not only was i *not* paid to make the speech but we (paramore] didn’t get paid to play that radio fest either. Just out here kicking ass for free I guess :(. Thanks so much for your concern and for spelling my name right, bye!”

Hayley Williams and Politics

This would not be the first time that Williams has used the concert stage to voice her thoughts on the political landscape. In 2023, the Paramore singer jumped into the political discussion during a show in New Jersey when she expressed her disdain for then Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis’ political directives had made Florida particularly unsafe for people of color, LGBTQIA+ communities, those who speak with an accent and international travelers, according to a NAACP travel advisory.

“I’ll be happy to tell you I’m very fucking comfortable talking politics,” Williams stated to the audience. “And if you vote for Ron DeSantis, you’re fucking dead to me.”

READ MORE: Hayley Williams Rips State Politicians for Denying Fellow Grammy Winner

The Paramore singer had previously taken part in the 2023 “Love Rising” benefit concert in her home state of Tennessee. The show protested legislation in the state that would restrict drag show performances. Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Brittany Howard, Hozier and many more performers took part as well. Proceeds went to the Tennessee Equality Project and several other local pride organizations.