Jay-Z says sitting down during the national anthem at the Super Bowl was not a protest

By Dawn Onley

·February 5, 2020

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 04: Jay-Z (L) and Beyoncé attend the "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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Jay-Z says he and Beyoncé were not protesting the National Anthem when they remained seated during Demi Lovato’s Super Bowl performance, they were working.

Jay addressed the controversy at Columbia University on Tuesday when he was asked by a professor if the move was done to “convey a signal,” to which Jay replied “it actually wasn’t. Sorry.” He said he, Bey and Blue Ivy were seated because they were honed in on Demi’s performance, reported TMZ.

“We immediately jumped into artist mode,” Jay-Z said.

According to Jigga, Beyoncé told him she was thinking about what was going through Demi’s mind in the seconds before she started singing. For Jay, he was thinking about the equipment.

“I’m really just looking at the show. The mics start. Was it too low to start?” Jay said he was focused on all aspects of the audio supporting Demi’s performance.

As the new head of entertainment for the league, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation partnered with the NFL and Pepsi to bring the Super Bowl performances, which also included Yolanda Adams singing “America the Beautiful” and Jennifer Lopez and Shakira who co-headlined a high-energy Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Jay told the Columbia professor that there was no need for a “silent protest” because, through entertainment, the league was “making the biggest loudest protest of all” by choosing a slate of diverse artists to perform, reported TMZ.

For what it’s worth, Jay also thought it funny that people would think Blue Ivy was in on the plot, saying it would be impossible for his 8-year-old to fake like she was playing it cool, particularly on camera.

Since Jay partnered with the NFL, he has also partly sponsored some new PSAs that have rolled out that spotlight police brutality, racism, the criminal justice system and other important causes, however, Colin Kaepernick still hasn’t been signed to a team.