Scott and SadiePeople don’t even seem to care anymore when artists FAKE their performances. But it used to be a HUGE controversy when someone got caught lip-syncing.
Here are six examples that have found their way into the history books:
1. Ashlee Simpson on “Saturday Night Live”, 2004: Ashlee got caught flat-footed when the WRONG SONG played over the p.a. It was actually the song she’d already performed earlier that episode.
So she danced a little jig, then walked off the stage, and the show went to commercial. It seriously derailed her music career.
2. Mariah Carey on “Dick Clarke’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”, 2016: Due to an earpiece malfunction, Mariah couldn’t hear anything. So she just kind of walked around onstage talking while her song played. Her rep claims she planned to sing along to a backing track, NOT to lip-sync.
3. The Milli Vanilli hoax, 1990: Not only did these guys lip-sync, they did it to someone else’s vocals. And that was the end of their careers.
4. Beyoncé at Barack Obama’s inauguration, 2013: While she never fully admitted to lip-syncing the national anthem, Beyoncé later noted the bad weather and a lack of rehearsal time or a proper sound check.
And she said, quote, “I am a perfectionist . . . I did not feel comfortable taking a risk.”
5. The Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Super Bowl, 2014: After their performance, people noticed that the guys’ instruments weren’t even plugged in.
Flea said it was the NFL’s call to have them fake the music while Anthony Kiedis sang live. And they decided not to plug in their gear because, quote, “We thought it better not to pretend.”
6. The Mamas and the Papas on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, 1967: Michelle Phillips protested having to lip-sync by EATING A BANANA during their performance of “California Dreamin'”.
You can watch videos and see a few more examples of lip-sync “controversies” here.
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