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

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less