NEWSVanilla Ice Says He'll Stay on Freedom 250 Lineup as Concert Chaos Deepens
Vanilla Ice confirmed he would stay on the Freedom 250 lineup.
June 9 2026, Published 9:30 a.m. ET
Vanilla Ice is still ready to take the stage for America’s 250th birthday, assuming there is still a stage to take.
The one-hit-wonder, born Robert Van Winkle, remains one of the few performers who has not publicly backed out of the Great American State Fair, the Freedom 250 event planned for June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. But even he admitted this week that the concert’s future has become unclear.
The Lineup Keeps Shrinking
More performers distanced themselves from Freedom 250.
The event has been unraveling since artists began exiting after learning more about its ties to President Donald Trump. Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC, Bret Michaels and others have distanced themselves from the celebration, with several saying they believed it had initially been presented as nonpartisan.
Trump responded by attacking the departing performers, suggesting they had the “yips,” floating the idea that he could headline himself and later calling for the fair to be canceled in favor of a political rally.
Donald Trump proposed replacing the concert with a rally.
He announced a June 24 rally featuring himself, Lee Greenwood and Christopher Macchio, writing on Truth Social, “We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home.”
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Vanilla Ice Says He’ll Show Up
Vanilla Ice said the event should not be political.
Appearing on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, Vanilla Ice said he had not been given clear information about whether the concert was still happening or had “morphed” into Trump’s rally.
“I hope so, I don’t even know, I’m here marinating,” he said. “But I’m honored to even be invited for this and I’ll be there, no matter what. This is gonna be an epic birthday for our country.”
In a separate CBS News interview, the rapper said the decision was “simple as a pimple.”
“It’s the birthday of America,” he said. “It’s not anything to do with politics. I don’t know why they’re turning it into politics.”
‘You Can’t Pick Your Fans’
Vanilla Ice said he would perform for anybody, including President Vladimir Putin and Iran.
Vanilla Ice also said he would perform for almost anyone willing to book him.
“I’d go play for anybody,” he said, naming Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran as examples.
The rapper said he has “never voted in my life” and does not believe artists should overthink the politics of a booking.
“You can’t pick your fans. They pick you,” he said. “You’re just an entertainer. Don’t ever try to think you’re anything beyond that.”
