MLB today said that Demi Lovato will replace Ariana Grande as the headliner for a planned All-Star Game concert on Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Grande was announced last month as the planned headliner and tickets to the free concert were claimed within minutes of availability. MLB said the cancellation happened due to "recent health issues" following the emergency removal of Grande's wisdom teeth on Monday. But the league is also spared a potential PR embarrassment after a video went viral today showing Grande in a California doughnut shop saying "I hate Americans. I hate America" in a comment about domestic obesity after seeing a tray of oversized donuts.
MLB sources said the switch was strictly due to the oral surgery, and were first made aware of Grande's inability to perform late Monday. The league worked with CAA, which represents both Lovato and Grande, on the switch in headliners, and had Lovato essentially lined up to perform by the end of yesterday. MLB has a prior relationship with Lovato, as she sang the National Anthem before Game 5 of the '11 World Series following a fervent social media campaign.
Grande also said in a statement that the cancellation was due strictly to the recovery from the oral surgery. She added her comments in the doughnut shop were taken out of context and apologized for the lack of discretion in her remarks. "The fact that the United States has the highest child obesity rate in the world frustrates me," she said.
