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.

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

The feet of two people under the sheets lying in bed
woman in white dress lying on white bed

People Reveal How They Felt Sleeping With Someone New After A Breakup

A major change to your life is always scary.

Even if you know it's all for the best, it will still take some getting used to, for an uncertain amount of time.

Keep ReadingShow less

The Most Backhanded Compliments People Have Ever Received

Receiving compliments is generally a pretty great experience. Everyone likes to hear what they're doing well and what others like about them.

But receiving a compliment can quickly ruin someone's day if they realize it's being used as a nice way to insult them.

Keep ReadingShow less

Americans Share Their Health Insurance Horror Stories

It's no secret that the American healthcare system is flawed and expensive for the people who need to rely on it to receive care.

But there are some situations that Americans have found themselves in that could easily qualify as horror stories.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mandy Moore
Lionel Hahn/Getty Images

Mandy Moore Rips Critics Who Shamed Her For Sharing GoFundMe For In-Laws Who Lost Home To Wildfires

Actor Mandy Moore did not mince words after she was slammed on social media for sharing a GoFundMe to raise funds for her in-laws who've lost their home in the ongoing wildfires still raging across southern California.

The This Is Us actor took to Instagram after being put on blast and explained that her brother-in-law and sister-in-law "lost their home and everything they own" in the Eaton fire, one of several active wildfires that have been blazing through Los Angeles County since last Tuesday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Justin Trudeau; Donald Trump
MSNBC; Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

Justin Trudeau Shares How He Got Trump To Pivot Away From '51st State' Threat

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had social media users cackling with his latest public statements since President-elect Donald Trump made headlines for jabbing him with remarks about Canadian statehood, noting how he'd gotten Trump to drop the empty threat during a recent conversation.

Trump, who first brought up the idea during a November meeting with Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago over Trump's threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, has since inflamed tensions by referring to Trudeau as the governor of the “great state of Canada." He has also discussed the possibility of using "economic force" instead of "military force" to annex the country.

Keep ReadingShow less