At least five artists who were slated to perform at the “Great American State Fair” in Washington this summer have denied involvement in the White House-backed event to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.

Performers Morris Day and The Time, rapper Young MC, Jodie Rocco of Milli Vanilli, country singer Martina McBride and The Commodores have said they won’t attend the event.

The two-week event, put together by White House initiative Freedom 250, is scheduled to take place from June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall. The musical lineup was released Wednesday and met with sweeping criticism.

McBride said in a post on X on Thursday that she initially believed the Great American State Fair was a nonpartisan event but was told Wednesday that was not the case.

“I saw it as just a bigger version of so many state fairs I have performed at over the years … Sounds fun, right? Wholesome even,” McBride said in a statement. “Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is. in fact, not what is happening.”

She added, “It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs.”

Just hours after the lineup was unveiled on Wednesday, Morris Day said in a post on Instagram that “contrary to rumor,” the group will not perform at the event.

Young MC, whose 1989 hit “Bust A Move” topped the charts at the time, also announced that he would not be performing on the Mall.

“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT. The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” Young MC, citing media coverage describing the event as “Trump-backed.”

“I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged,” he said.

On Thursday, singer Jodie Rocco of the pop duo Milli Vanilli told The Associated Press that they, too, “were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli,’ as one of the performers.” In a statement to Billboard, the group wrote that the “original/real vocalists of Milli Vanilli” will not be performing at the event.

The Commodores, a funk-soul group, also announced Thursday they would not be at the fair, saying on social media, “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party.”

“We support the betterment of all Americans,” the group said on Instagram.

The two-week event, put together by the White House initiative Freedom 250, is scheduled to take place from  June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall. The musical lineup was released Wednesday to sweeping criticism.

Another artist, Freedom Williams of the C+C Music Factory, which is set to perform on the second day of the event, said in a video Wednesday on Instagram that he was not told that the show was affiliated with President Donald Trump and may reconsider the group’s participation.

Rock singer Bret Michaels and rappers Flo Rida and Vanilla Ice were also listed as artists on the fair’s flyer.

In a video posted to Instagram Thursday, Vanilla Ice said he was “honored to do the concert,” adding, “We don’t take anything too serious.”

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