Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Tom Petty's Estate Rips Kari Lake For Using Song Without Permission To Promote Her 'Failed Campaign'

Tom Petty; Kari Lake
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images; John Moore/Getty Images

The late rocker's estate released a statement calling out the failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate.

Make us preferred on Google

The estate of late rocker Tom Petty criticized Kari Lake—a QAnon adherent and election denier who was the Republican nominee in Arizona's gubernatorial race—after she used his song "I Won't Back Down" to promote her "failed campaign."

Lake has thus far refused to concede after she officially lost the gubernatorial race to Katie Hobbs, the Arizona Secretary of State whom Lake threatened with imprisonment on baseless and unspecified allegations of criminality related to the 2020 election.


Instead, she's rehashed the playbook made popular by former Republican President Donald Trump, falsely alleging that election fraud took place, and her use of "I Won't Back Down" was her way of making this statement in an ad she released following her loss.

However, Petty's estate says the song "was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign."

You can see the ad below.

Petty's estate posted a longer statement to the rocker's official Twitter account, saying:

"This is illegal. We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem."
"Thank you to all of the fans who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.”

You can see the official statement below.

As it turns out, Lake's choice of music is her simply mimicking Trump, who was called out by Petty's estate for using the same song when he announced a return to the campaign trail in 2020.

At the time, Petty's estate said that Petty—who made no secret of his progressive politics when he was alive—would have disapproved of Trump's use of the song, saying Trump "was in no way authorized" to use it "to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind."

Lake and her use of the song were immediately criticized.


The criticism from Petty's estate is only the latest example of Lake being called out by an arist who doesn't agree with the political beliefs of the MAGA crowd.

Earlier this year, Twisted Sister rocker Dee Snider lashed out at Lake after learning her campaign had used the band's song "We're Not Going to Take It" at her campaign rallies.

While Snider acknowledged that people don't have to "get permission to play any song at an event," referring to paid licensing agreements that allow venues to legally use an entire catalog of music, he said that he "WILL denounce" those he disagrees with.

Later, he noted the hyper conservative Lake was using a song "NEVER intended for you fascist morons" because the first line is what he called a "PRO-CHOICE anthem."

Lake's campaign was unrepentant, later responding Snider was once "anti-establishment" because he once testified before Congress about music censorship during hearings in the 1990s about the "dangers" of rock music.

More from Trending

Patrick Stewart
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Tributes Pour In For 'Star Trek' And 'X-Men' Icon Patrick Stewart After His Death At 86

On Thursday, people received the news of the passing of lauded stage, TV, and screen actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Already an accomplished actor in his beloved Britain, in 1987 Sir Patrick gained international fame as he joined Starfleet and the Star Trek universe for the first new television series since 1969.

For the next seven seasons, Captain Jean-Luc Picard would command the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) on Star Trek: The Next Generation on the small screen, then follow as it made the leap to the silver screen where Stewart would play the role for four feature films. He would don the uniform again for his own series, Picard, for three seasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jesse Ventura; Donald Trump
KSTP-TV; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Jesse Ventura Brutally Rips 'Coward' Trump For Avoiding Military Service After Trump Touts Himself As Great Military Leader

Minneapolis-born ex-pro-wrestler and former Reform Party Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura minced no words when he shared how he feels about MAGA Republican President Donald Trump.

Once rumored to be a potential running mate for the former reality star President, Ventura has been a very vocal critic of Trump for some time.

Keep ReadingShow less

Robert Irwin Hilariously Mortified After Prince William Makes 'Python' Joke About His Racy Photoshoot

Prince William has a sense of humor. I know. I'm processing this information, too.

The future king made an unexpected detour into comedy during The Graham Norton Show, where Robert Irwin's infamous underwear photoshoot became the evening's main attraction. Unfortunately for Irwin, William had questions. Well, more like observations.

Keep ReadingShow less
TikToker @kori_latham; Luke Skywalker from 'Star Wars'
@kori_latham/TikTok; Disney/LucasFilm

TikTok Mom's Church Outfit Gets Hilariously Roasted By Her 10-Year-Old With Brutal 'Star Wars' Comparison

There's nothing like finding an outfit that you love and feel really confident in, only to realize that you bear an uncanny resemblance to a popular film's costume stylings.

And that's exactly what happened to TikToker @kori_latham, who was getting dressed for church.

Keep ReadingShow less
Newborn baby with full mustache
@MarioNawfal/X

Viral Video Of Newborn Baby Allegedly Born With Full Mustache Sparks Flurry Of Hilarious Jokes

Some people are born to make an entrance—but one baby took that so seriously that he immediately became an internet meme when he was born, thanks to rocking a full mustache.

Parents are typically "warned" about little "abnormalities" they might notice when their babies are born, like birthmarks, a lot of hair on their head, no hair on their head, different eye colors, and maybe even a little facial hair.

Keep ReadingShow less