Pharrell Sends Donald Trump A Cease And Desist For Playing ‘Happy’ After The Synagogue Shooting

Getty Image

This weekend, tragedy struck the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh when a gunman killed multiple people in a mass shooting, which yielded what Bob Jones, the FBI Special Agent in Charge, called the “most horrific crime scene” he had ever seen. Later that day, Donald Trump appeared at a political rally in Indiana and played Pharrell’s hit “Happy” during the event. This apparently rubbed Pharrell the wrong way, and he has now sent the president a cease and desist letter through his lawyer.

Attorney Howard King writes in the letter, “On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged ‘nationalist,’ you played his song ‘Happy’ to a crowd at a political event in Indiana. There was nothing ‘happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose.”

This isn’t the first time Pharrell has expressed his displeasure with Trump: Before the president’s inauguration, Pharrell shared a message of unity: “It is time to galvanize. Recognize the strength in our numbers. Set each other free of what sets us apart, but celebrate the beauty in what make us different. When we fight we are doing the work for them; when we work together the divisive work falls apart.”

×