Another year of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade means another year of celebrities lip syncing their performances along the block-long parade route. Viewers tuning into the annual festive event ahead of their planned Thanksgiving feasts didn’t miss the numerous performers who opted out of performing their songs live, many instead choosing to move their lips along to pre-recorded renditions of their songs, prompting plenty of backlash on social media.
This is far from the first year social media has erupted in discussion over lip syncing along the parade route. In fact, in 2018, Macy’s even issued an apology after numerous artists experienced technical difficulties during their performances. At the time, John Legend, one of the musicians who had been affected, had revealed that “we all have to lip sync on this parade.” Why? Well, according to Legend, it all has to do with the fact that “the floats don’t have the capacity to handle the sound requirements for a live performance.” According to Just Jared, aside from the logistics of the performances, another reason for lip syncing is the cold weather that typically comes on Thanksgiving Day in New York City.
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Regardless of the reasons, each year, the lip syncing typically results in plenty of social media posts from users slamming the performers for opting out of live performances. This year was no different. Scroll down to see what those tuning into the 94th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are saying.
Macy’s Parade has often felt bizarre, but hoo boy, this year it’s something else. It is like apocalyptically grim to watch someone lip sync for no one from a float on an empty street
— mezcal jones (@justacatdaddy) November 26, 2020
So Jimmy Fallon, a comedian, actually sings to open the parade and all the professional singers lip sync. Got it.
— Yaboi (@Y_a_b_o_i) November 26, 2020
Is it the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade or who can lip sync the best competition?
— Chris Ringer (@cringer95) November 26, 2020
What is this parade? They had a singer standing stationary on a float and they lip sync, but the theater kids have to do an entire scene, dance AND sing live? #MacysParade
— TWENTY-SOMETHING MORE (@20SM_NJ) November 26, 2020
Idk seeing Broadway actors who haven’t been able to work all year forced to do a 3-min lip sync to advertise shows that might be able to reopen next summer (best case scenario) in a parade that should not be happening for 500 different public safety reasons….not great!!!
— Lord_Gobblegobble (@BobbyLibby) November 26, 2020
If singers on the Macy’s parade are going to lip sync, they should just wear a mask and own it.
— Andrew Rohne 🍺🏃🍕 (@HamBrew807) November 26, 2020
I’m not sure I’ll ever understand the artists who lip sync on a Macy’s Parade float
— Joe Roche (@JRoche3MR) November 26, 2020
These parade performers so obviously lip sync (understandably) but why not go full Drag Race and fully commit to it!?
— Casey Sherwood (@CaseySurewould) November 26, 2020
like what’s even the point of having the musical performances this year on the parade when they just all lip sync like what is the point just put em in a mask and have them strut around i don’t need to see the bad lip syncing
— allison 🎄 (@booksandbalks) November 26, 2020
No one is at the parade and the singers still lipsync. Seems like the year they could have been real
— Momma_berger (@berger_momma) November 26, 2020
If ever a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade time to lip sync this is the year. Masks hide everything.
— JeremyNewberger (@jeremynewberger) November 26, 2020
wait the Macy’s parade is still on? yay I can watch tween Disney pop stars lip sync! an American cultural event!
— baby grinch (@sarahesoltan) November 26, 2020
I can’t believe New York of all states green lit this stupid ass parade so we can watch B list celebrity lip sync their way through songs I never heard.
— Dan Rice (@The_DanRice) November 26, 2020
i also like to watch the singers lip sync at the macy’s parade
— caitie (@caitiecastle) November 26, 2020