Paramore's Hayley Williams fires back at criticism over iHeartRadio Festival speech

Paramore's Hayley Williams responded to accusations that she read from a script during her anti-Donald Trump speech at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival.

On Instagram, a user claimed Williams was "reading a script" and asked if she was "paid or blackmailed" for her comments.

Williams replied, "whoever you are, i typed out my speech and had a crew member hold it near the camera for me in case i got nervous bc what i had to say was important and i didn’t want to trip up in the moment. didn’t end up looking at it though… that’s because i prepared."

She added: "finally, not only was i not paid to make the speech but we (paramore) didn’t get paid to play that radio fest either. just out here kicking ass for free i guess . thanks so much for your concern and for spelling my name right, bye!"

During Paramore's performance, Williams condemned Trump's policies, “Project 2025 is Donald Trump’s playbook for controlling and punishing women, poor people, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community."

The singer urged the crowd to vote, “It is time for all Americans to band together and to finally defeat the Trump agenda. And the only way to do that is by confronting him at the polls."

Williams asked, “Do you want to live in a dictatorship? Well, show up and vote."