Grammy Award-winning singer Ariana Grande has publicly condemned the White House for using her 2024 chartbuster “Bye” in a TikTok video that depicts ICE agents making arrests.
According to Reuters, Grande expressed her disapproval in a comment on the TikTok post earlier this week, saying, “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”
A representative for the artist confirmed to Variety that the singer had commented, although it was not publicly visible on the post for unclear reasons. Grande’s team also worked to remove the audio from the video, and the clip was muted shortly after the comment was posted.
Grande backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and previously performed for Barack and Michelle Obama at the White House’s 2014 Women of Soul event.
White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comments.
Artists Push Back On White House
This incident is not the first time the White House has faced backlash for using an artist’s music in its content. In December, the administration quietly removed a video featuring Sabrina Carpenter‘s song ‘Juno’ after she criticized it as “evil and disgusting.”
In September, Grande criticized supporters of the Trump administration by resharing an Instagram post from activist Matt Bernstein that condemned ongoing ICE raids, anti-trans rhetoric, and what it described as broader threats to democracy. The post, framed as a “check-in” for Trump supporters, prompted a direct response from the White House.
The controversy comes in the wake of a massive $70 billion funding infusion for ICE approved by the House of Representatives in June 2026, which sparked intense political backlash. The funding, which was passed with a slim majority, is expected to finance the agencies through the end of President Donald Trump‘s second term.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
