Trump Snubbed by A-Listers Turning Down UFC Fight in Droves
President Donald Trump’s officials will have their work cut out if they want to show the president surrounded by celebrities during his UFC Freedom 250 birthday party celebration this month.
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According to Vanity Fair, UFC President Dana White’s celebrity guest list, which he revealed included Adam Sandler, filmmaker Guy Ritchie, Tom Brady, Oscar winner Jared Leto, action star Jason Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and TV host Mario Lopez, will come up empty for many—if not all—of those names.
A source close to Johnson told the publication that the wrestler-turned-actor will not attend. Neither will Sandler, Leto, or even Lopez, who has publicly identified as a conservative. Vanity Fair reports that the remaining invitees had not responded to multiple requests for comment. The Daily Beast has also reached out to representatives for the aforementioned celebrities.
Longtime UFC fan Jon Favreau, director of The Mandalorian and Grogu and icon of the Iron Man franchise, did not return a request for comment when speculation arose on Friday that he received an invitation.
White and Hollywood superagent and UFC owner Ari Emanuel each have 200 tickets to distribute how they like. Trump has 1,000—but White’s lack of luck and the other 250th celebration that fell apart for being associated with the president mean things aren’t looking too hopeful.
The enormous, $60 million cage fight is scheduled for June 14, following the months-long transformation of the White House South Lawn into an extravagant, open-air UFC ring, to celebrate the president’s 80th birthday and the country’s 250th.
The news of yet another celebrity desertion comes as Trump saves face on yet another booking disaster.
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On Friday, Trump announced that he would host a rally in place of June 24’s kickoff of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, after most of the concert’s lineup backed out of the performance. Several of the artists—including Milli Vanilli, Bret Michaels, and Martina McBride—said they were told the show would be a nonpartisan event before pulling out.
Others, like Vanilla Ice, were blindsided after they declined to leave with the mass exodus when Trump insulted all the performers and canceled the concert altogether.
“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep; we’ve told them all to stay home,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. “All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years!”
Trump’s presumably hand-picked artists include Lee Greenwood, the 83-year-old country singer whose signature hit, “God Bless the U.S.A.” was released in 1984. Joining them will be Christopher Macchio, a 47-year-old opera singer who has just 571 monthly listeners on Spotify.
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