Macy Gray has revealed that the Today show banned a Free Brittney Griner shirt during her performance.
The R&B and soul singer, 54, performed at NBC Studios with her keyboardist Billy Wes, who was wearing a Free Brittney Griner Shirt when he arrived.
However, when the band was performing on-air, the writing on Billy’s shirt had gone missing.
Macy Gray’s performance was meant to include a protest for Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association, has been detained in Russia since February after cannabis oil vape cartridges were allegedly found in her suitcase.
The 31-year-old has since pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling but denies that she knew she was breaking the law.
Asked by TMZ how she felt when her band wasn’t allowed to wear the Free Brittney Griner shirts, Macy said, “I’m just praying for her, that really bummed me out today, that really made me sad.”
“I just hope they do something about it, I hope Biden steps up and brings her home because that’s really heartbreaking.”
Speaking about the shirts, she added, “We wanted to wear them on the show, then they said no, cause I guess something happened.”
Macy also responded to whether wearing the shirts would be political. She said, “I don’t think it’s political, I think it’s a human being that’s in a really horrible situation, and there’s people that have power to do something about it, and that’s what they should do.”
The 54-year-old’s keyboardist Billy also revealed that the Today bosses forced him to turn the shirt inside out.
Macy Gray recently faced backlash over her comments on transgender women
Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Macy recently said that she doesn’t believe Transgender women should be competing in sports against women who are born female.
She also went on to say, “Changing your parts doesn’t make you a woman.”
Despite the backlash, Macy took to her Twitter page to call out those who were criticizing her.
Macy Gray’s family life
Certainly carving her name in R&B and soul music, Macy has released ten studio albums and has won one out of her five Grammy award nominations. But there’s more to the singer than you may know.
Macy is the mother of two daughters, Aanisah Hinds, 27, Happy Hinds, 25, and son Tahmel Hinds, 26.
She shares her children with her ex-husband Tracey Hinds, who she married from 1996 to 1998.