Early Wednesday morning, conservative commentator Tomi Lahren stepped into the Beyhive, and as you might expect, she was stung. After learning that mega-star Beyoncé presented NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick with the Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award on Tuesday night, the young Republican decided to take her opinion on the matter to Twitter, where Lahren criticized Beyonce and Kaepernick for their political activism, describing the pair as "police-hating."
"Police-hating Beyoncé presents police and America-hating Kappy with a 'legacy' award," she wrote. "This is how far we’ve fallen. Wow."
As is to be expected, Beyoncé fans swarmed Lahren's account, describing her as a "propagandist" and "a puppet of hatred." "Propaganda news network hires girl that yells the same rhetoric every single day. This is how far we've fallen. Wow," chided one user.
Others were quick to offer Lahren a correction. "Good to see you're drinking all of the #FauxNews Kool-aid these days," tweeted user Jon Day. "Beyonce & Kaepernick have been very clear that they respect the police. What they protest is the continued racial inequality & unjustified homicides of black men and women at the hands of too many officers."
"Criminally dishonest," added user MacGregor. "You are not a journalist, you are a propagandist. Enjoy infamy."
According to Sports Illustrated, the award "will celebrate individuals whose dedication to the ideals of sportsmanship has spanned decades and whose career in athletics has directly or indirectly impacted the world." Kaepernick, who is not currently signed to a team, has made headlines since 2016, when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. (At the time, he was a player for the San Francisco 49ers.)
"To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way," Kaepernick said in August of 2016. "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Beyoncé also has a reputation for civil rights activism. Lahren's assertion that she is "police-hating" may be a reference to the singer's 2016 song 'Formation,' whose video shows a police car sinking into flood waters. Her 2016 Super Bowl performance also directly alluded to the Black Panthers, which Lahren has heavily criticized in the past.
"These two have more talent and integrity than you could ever dream of #jealous," user Craig Yeary tweeted at Lahren. "Mad that black people are successful? Sorry," tweeted another user named Taylor, accompanied by a gif showing Beyoncé smiling and stroking her hair.
After the backlash, Lahren defended her tweet in a follow-up. "The twisted notion that it’s fine to disrespect your country and those who protect, fight and defend it but HOW DARE ANYONE criticize Beyoncé!!!" Lahren tweeted Wednesday evening. "Give me a break." The Beyhive was similarly displeased with Lahren's double-down, and responded largely with Beyoncé gifs and sarcasm.
"How many times must we drag u Becky????" taunted one user. "Shedding light on an issue is not disrespectful to your country, you just don’t care about the issue. Fine, but quit pushing this false hyper patriotism..." said another.
Beyoncé fans, in particular, are known for being extremely protective of their queen. In one instance, following the release of her Lemonade album, members of the so-called Beyhive attempted to hunt down the woman they believed the singer was referencing in a song about having been cheated on. For days, fans trolled the internet, piecing together clues to try to figure out who the offender was. There were several suspects, and each was the subject of a multitude of allegations by fans on the internet.
