A White Country Star Is Accused of Stealing Beyoncé’s Performance — and Fans Say the Audacity Is Wild
Beyoncé is no stranger to cultural debate, and this week her “Cowboy Carter” era found itself back at the center of one.
The renewed attention didn’t come from a new song or a surprise announcement. Instead, it unfolded during a Christmas Day football broadcast that was supposed to be light, festive, and forgettable.
When Snoop Dogg took the stage at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis during the halftime show of the Minnesota Vikings’ 23-10 victory over the Detroit Lions in the second game of the NFL Christmas Gameday slate on Netflix, the presentation aimed to be glossy and broadly accessible.
The set felt intentionally tame, wrapped in holiday cheer and a polished aesthetic that stood in contrast to the version of Snoop many longtime fans remember. But once country singer Lainey Wilson joined him, the performance shifted from seasonal entertainment to cultural flashpoint.
Viewers immediately began drawing comparisons between the all-white styling, the country framing, and the visual tone of the performance and Beyoncé’s own Christmas halftime moment in 2024, when the streaming service posted a clip of the “Heart Like a Truck” singer’s performance on Instagram.
That resemblance — intentional or not — reopened a conversation that never fully cooled after Beyoncé entered the country space. What might have been a forgettable halftime show quickly turned into a referendum on cultural appropriation, biting, and who gets grace when genre lines blur.
Social media reaction poured in fast and without much restraint.
Under Netflix’s post, many slammed the West Coast rapper, with one commenter weighing in on his outfit, “Look at snoop in jiggaboo Red, aint he crip?”
Another added, this time talking about the talent paired with him, “Snoop has lost all his gangsta and has become a country blumpkin.”
A third response cut shorter but just as sharp: “Im more disappointed in snoop.”
The focus soon shifted toward Wilson, with one post reading, “She couldn’t get that Grammy so she just stole her show.”
Another comment tied the moment directly to Beyoncé’s earlier criticism, writing, “Told Beyomce she wasn’t country ! Then stole her whole sh-t.”
A final reaction summed up the frustration clearly: “Lainey copying Beyoncé with Snoop = hard pass Nope!”
One Year Ago Today, Beyoncé Performed At The NFL Christmas halftime show. pic.twitter.com/Tk3x1rycTd
— CELIA🐝 (@Damilola_Celia) December 25, 2025
Those reactions can’t be separated from the resistance Beyoncé faced when “Cowboy Carter” first arrived.
The album sparked immediate debate within parts of the country music community, where questions about authenticity and belonging overshadowed conversations about the music itself. Despite that skepticism, the project went on to dominate charts, make history, and reshape what a modern country crossover could look like.
For many supporters, the scrutiny Beyoncé endured made the halftime comparisons sting more sharply.
Wilson has addressed that tension directly. When asked whether losing the Grammy’s Best Country Album to Beyoncé was frustrating, she made it clear that awards were never her driving force.
The facial expressions of Lainey Wilson and Kacey Musgraves when Beyoncé won Country Album of The Year 💀 pic.twitter.com/UXvIClXtWt
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) February 3, 2025
She explained, according to American Songwriter, that her goal has always been about performing live and making people feel something, not collecting trophies.
She said, “We both share a deep appreciation for what each other does and I think that she’s introduced a lot of people to the country genre that maybe ever even knew that they liked it, and country’s on fire right now.”
@countrymusic333 Country’s on fire rn 🔥 #laineywilson #beyoncé #countrymusic #cowboycarter #whirlwind #womenofcountry ♬ Help Me Make It Through The Night (Amazon Music Original) – Lainey Wilson
That respect, however, didn’t stop the online backlash once visuals entered the equation.
Snoop’s involvement added another layer to the response.
His recent decision to perform at an event tied to Donald Trump earlier this year continues to follow him, with critics framing the move as politically loaded. Against that backdrop, even wardrobe choices during the halftime show were interpreted symbolically, fueling debates that went far beyond music.
The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” chart-topper has long-declared his affiliation with the Crip street gang, whose colors are blue. Traditionally, he would have never worn red, which is the color of the rival gang, the Bloods. Red also is the color most notably connected to Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
All of this has his diehard fans scratching their heads.
or christmas red… or blood red… lol
— nicky (@ni7ric) December 26, 2025
By the end of the week, the conversation circled back to Beyoncé — not because she responded, but because her influence didn’t need defending. “Cowboy Carter” has once again found its way back into the conversations.
In the end, people are wondering how Snoop is connected to the programming, if he really knew that Wilson was going to jack Queen Bey’s style, and if the red coat was going to be a fresh Christmas flex or signs he is in the sunken place.
Either way, for many watching, the takeaway was simple: when the blueprint is clear, the echoes are impossible to ignore.
