Skip to main content

Fox News Confuses Patti LaBelle For Aretha Franklin

Fox News has now lost their privilege to ever listen to another Aretha Franklin song

By Aug 16th, 2018, 5:42 pm
Aretha Franklin

You’d think that being the Queen of Soul, news outlets would focus on actual Aretha Franklin on the day of her passing. 

Aretha, one of the greatest voices to ever have lived, an icon and a pioneer, has had to share a day that should be all about her with Elvis Presley’s death from 1977 and now, Patti LaBelle, a very much living woman.

It shouldn’t be surprising that outlets like The Wrap and Fox News don’t care to be more sensitive, but that means that we get to be angry. Aretha Franklin is a legend and always will be one of the greatest performers and most important figures of the modern era. And she also has a face that is widely recognizable.

So for her to be a) mistaken as Patti LaBelle or whatever happened or b) for her to have to share in memoriam posts with Elvis Presley, who has been dead for over 50 years, is a disgrace.

In a lovely turn of events, Fox News apologized by stating that it was supposed to be her and Patti LaBelle. so they don’t have someone on their team whose job it is to make sure the graphics come out correctly? Hmm.

Why should Aretha also have to share an in memoriam post with Elvis? It makes no sense when she died today. You can tweet twice, The Wrap.

Is any of it okay? No! Aretha Franklin, a woman who MANY people claim to love, has been marginalized on a day that should have been praising everything she accomplished. If we could pass a damning sentence, Fox News and The Wrap would no longer get to listen to her music ever again. You don’t get that gift.

(via Twitter, image: MOLLY RILEY/AFP/Getty Images)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Filed Under:

Follow The Mary Sue:

Rachel Leishman - Assistant Editor

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. A writer her whole life but professionally starting back in 2016 who loves all things movies, TV, and classic rock. Resident Spider-Man expert, official Leslie Knope, actually Yelena Belova. Wanda Maximoff has never done anything wrong in her life. Star Wars makes her very happy. New York writer with a passion for all things nerdy. Yes, she has a Pedro Pascal podcast. And also a Harrison Ford one.