NEWS'Hamilton' Star Christopher Jackson Trolled for Flubbing National Anthem Lyrics at Mets Game: 'I've Seen Kids Do a Better Job'
The Broadway star is known for portraying President George Washington in the hit Lin-Manuel Miranda musical.
March 27 2026, Published 2:06 p.m. ET
Christopher Jackson, who played George Washington in Broadway's original run of Hamilton, is being mercilessly mocked online after botching the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" at MLB’s Opening Day on Thursday, March 26.
Ahead of the New York Mets game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field stadium in New York City, the Grammy-winning performer, 50, repeated the line "What so proudly we hailed" instead of singing, "O'er the ramparts we watched."
One fan captured footage of the moment and posted it on X, writing, "What!!! @mets season is over before it started. Singer forgets lyrics to National Anthem!!!!"
Christopher Jackson is facing mockery online for mixing up the famous lyrics.
'He Had One Job'
'He was horrible,' one user wrote on X.
Another person responded on the social media platform, "Yeah, saw that live and he was horrible. I’ve seen kids do a better job than this dude."
"He had one job to do," a third user declared, while a fourth added, "If you can’t handle the anthem, maybe stick to the stage. National pride isn’t a performance to improvise."
Others called the And Just Like That... actor a "schmuck" and a "loser," while noting the irony of the person who portrayed America's first president in the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical making the mistake.
'Carried on Like a Pro'
Others stuck up for the award-winning performer.
Some came to Jackson's defense, however, with one account commenting, "So what! Happens to the best — he cleaned it up nicely."
"Carried on like a pro! I respect someone who makes a mistake and presses forward without missing a beat," another user weighed in.
Someone else on X wrote, "I feel for the dude. Lol that was a genuine slip."
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'I'm Human'
Christopher Jackson addressed the mistake.
The Tony nominee addressed the mishap in an interview, telling TMZ Sports, "It was for about five seconds...and one line got away from me. I’m human."
Jackson added that he "won’t hesitate to step up to a mic and pay tribute to those that we honor with the Anthem."
"I’ve had the honor of singing the National Anthem countless times in stadiums around the country," he said. "Today was a beautiful Opening Day and it was thrilling to be there!"
Who Else Has Butchered the National Anthem?
Christina Aguilera and Fergie have both made headlines for their renditions of the song.
Jackson isn't the first star to go viral for flubbing the national anthem.
Christina Aguilera infamously forgot an entire line as she belted out the song during her performance at the Super Bowl in 2011, while Fergie memorably faced backlash for delivering a bizarre jazz-inspired rendition of the patriotic tune during the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.
