"It's OK," King told the crowd before her performance. "I live what I sing, y'all."
As King slurred through both the lyrics and improvised quips (such as asking “Who does?” after the lyric “I don’t want to go home”), fans quickly took to social media to accuse her of being wasted.
Context-wise, there are a couple of things worth pointing out about King’s performance. The first is that, as the name of the show would imply, it was New Year’s Eve and she was far from the only sloshed celebrity on TV that evening. A few of her fans were quick to point out this double standard: Why does the whole country look forward to seeing Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper get wasted on live television but King can’t be a little tipsy during a song that’s literally about drinking? She was just having fun, they say.Elle King is hammered drunk.
— Barry Gadbois (@BarryGadbois) January 1, 2024
The performance was cringe, but it was also competent. King got through it with more grace than some wasted rock stars of yore we could name. Some have expressed the belief that the performance was funny enough to be the first meme of 2024. That might be giving it too much credit.@jessicalee8451 Get it girl!!!! I wish I was feeling as good as Elle King is right now!!! @Elle King #NYE2023 #happynewyears #babyimdrunkandidontwannagohome ♬ original sound - JessyMtheRN
Much of the backlash seems to have less to do with the inappropriateness of King’s behavior and more to do with the standards of country music fans. There was just as much outcry about King not being a “real country artist” as there was about her supposed drunkenness. In the eyes of these viewers, there may have been nothing King could have done to make a better impression.
The situation isn’t really cut and dry enough to cry double standard, however. While the backlash was rife with snark from King’s detractors, there was also an outpouring of concern from fans. King has been known to drink at her own shows as well. Earlier this year, she walked offstage during a performance in Detroit after several back-and-forths with rowdy audience members. (In fairness, this a perfectly acceptable response to people yelling “Play ‘Freebird’” regardless of blood-alcohol content.)The only thing good on this Nashville New Year's Eve show is Bailey Zimmerman, Lainey Wilson, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
— Deana Kimball (@DeanaDinonet745) January 1, 2024
Please NEVER let Elle King on here again, man she is so annoying. Can they not book real country talent to perform on this show.
King, who recorded her second album, Shake the Spirit, at Denton's Echo Lounge, recalled her time in Denton as a "spiritual experience" as she told the Observer ahead of a tour stop at The Factory in 2022.@beautybyrye Replying to @xcrossapplesauce Elle King stands up for herself and walks off stage after dealing with rude crowd members in #Pontiac #michigan. #elleking #ellekingmusic #crofoot #crofootballroom #country #natesmith #bekind #fyp #respectartist💯#robschneider #natesmithcountrymusic #ellekingforthewin ♬ original sound - Riley Caitlyn
The singer is continuing to tour in 2024 (including an upcoming show at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth on Jan. 26), so time will tell whether drinking will further affect her performances or simply remain a controlled part of her stage persona. Either way, we respect her right to take the edge off from time to time. After all, none of us can fathom what it must be like to be Rob Schneider’s daughter.
