Brian Wilson says he has 'nothing to do with' Beach Boys performance at Trump fundraiser
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
C Brandon/Redferns; Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Al Jardine are not on board with fellow founding member and current lead singer Mike Love and the touring edition of the group performing at Donald Trump's Sunday fundraiser.
“We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero,” a spokesperson for Wilson and Jardine told Variety. “We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times.”
EW has reached out to representatives for Wilson and Jardine.
Tickets for the benefit ranged from $2,800 per person all the way up to $150,000, according to the L.A. Times.
Since the Beach Boys' 50th anniversary tour in 2012, the surviving members have toured in competing camps. Love has long been vocal about his support for Trump, saying in a 2017 interview, “I don’t have anything negative to say about the president of the USA ... Donald Trump has never been anything but kind to us."
Wilson and Love, who are cousins, were also at odds earlier this year after Wilson objected to the group's scheduled performance at a convention for Safari Club International in Reno, Nev. The controversial organization advocates for “the right to hunt” and has long been criticized for endorsing “trophy hunting,” the killing of endangered species and other animals for sport.
Wilson linked to a Change.org petition urging Beach Boys manager Elliott Lott to cancel the performance and boycott the band's music.
“This organization supports trophy hunting, which both Al [Jardine] and I are emphatically opposed to,” Wilson wrote on Facebook and Twitter. “There’s nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition.”
Love responded to the criticisms, saying in a statement, “We look forward to a night of great music in Reno, and, as always, support freedom of thought and expression as a fundamental tenet of our rights as Americans."
Wilson and Jardine are not the only ones who have disavowed Trump's events. Artists like Queen, Pharrell, Rihanna, and more have spoken out against Trump for using their music at rallies and other campaign events.
Related content:
