Australian-American country music star Keith Urban caused a scene over the weekend after performing at a private event for Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump was in attendance at the private party hosted by Pratt, who reportedly donated $10 million to Trump’s 2024 election campaign and pledged to invest an additional $5 billion toward Trump’s “call to reindustrialize” the U.S.
Pratt—who was only recently welcomed back into the fold after being iced out by Trump during an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith—thanked the president, who was seated next to him, by pledging $5 million to support American businesses.
But in an unexpected twist, Urban was recorded performing not just his own songs, but also a cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” an LGBTQ+ anthem inspired in part by the famous West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey.
While Roan, an outspoken critic of the president who paused one of her L.A. concerts last month to cuss out ICE, has not responded to the news, her fans are incensed, with one saying, “How dare he take a queer song from a queer icon and play it at that place.”
Another questioned Urban’s song pick with regards to how Roan would feel, tweeting: “Insane how he would choose that song when Chappell would never approve.” While a third hoped Roan would take legal action “for using her song.”
Others pointed out that it isn’t the first LGBTQ+ anthem popular with the Trump crowd, citing the many instances Trump himself has used The Village People’s “YMCA” at events.
Representatives for Urban and Roan did not immediately respond to the Beast’s request for comment.
Urban, whose wife of 19 years, Nicole Kidman, filed for divorce in September following the couple’s separation, has regularly played “Pink Pony Club” at his concerts.
He even sang the tune at a MuchMusic event in April. Although he stumbled over some of the lyrics, Urban praised the song afterwards for its inclusive message.
“It’s just a great song, I mean these songs that capture a sense of metaphor,” he said. “God, when I heard that song, I just almost cried ‘cause I’m like who doesn’t wanna find a safe place? Wherever that is, you just wanna find your people. Doesn’t matter where that is, just somewhere where you finally realize you belong there. God that speaks to me!”
