Grammy-nominated singer Ellie Goulding is threatening to cancel her performance at the Cowboys' Thanksgiving halftime show. The show, which is set to appear on national TV on CBS during the Dallas Cowboys game against the Buffalo Bills, serves as the kickoff for the Salvation Army's yearly Red Kettle Campaign.
Goulding made the announcement after fans took to her Instagram to accuse the Salvation Army of trans and homophobia _ and condemn her for supporting the organization.
The comments prompted Goulding to respond with a comment of her own:
"Upon researching this, I have reached out to The Salvation Army and said that I would have no choice but to pull out unless they very quickly make a solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community," she wrote. "I am a committed philanthropist as you probably know, and my heart has always been in helping the homeless, but supporting an anti-LGBTQ charity is clearly not something I would ever intentionally do. Thank you for drawing my attention to this."
An Instagram post Goulding made this morning, showing her visiting a Salvation Army center in New York, was what prompted the exchange.
The Red Kettle Kickoff halftime show has been a fixture on national TV for the past 22 years. Last year's performer was Meghan Trainor. Other stars that have appeared on it include Selena Gomez, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Enrique Iglesias, Keith Urban, Destiny's Child. Goulding was announced as this year's star last Thursday.
The campaign that the halftime show heralds, now in its 129th year, ends on Christmas Eve and is geared toward providing shelter and meals for people dealing with homelessness and hunger. It also supports Christmas toys for children, as well as other social service programs. Last year, the campaign, which the Salvation Army touts as "the largest and longest-running fundraiser of its kind," brought in $142.7 million.
