Getty Fergie sings the national anthem prior to the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.
Actor Josh Duhamel called out Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green for laughing during Fergie’s 2018 All-Star Game performance of the national anthem.
“The thing that made me upset was that she was taking a lot of really cruel comments, people were really trolling,” Duhamel told Kristine Leahy in an interview for Fair Game that will air on Thursday night. “I was pissed off at Draymond Green, first of all. I think he owed her an apology. I think he was kind of a prick.”
Leahy asked why.
“Just because he knew the camera was on him and he snickered about it. I just thought that if he would have been a real man he would have at least called her and said, ‘Listen, I’m sorry that I caused all this.'”
Green wasn’t alone in his reaction to Fergie’s much-maligned rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“I needed a cigarette after that,” a snickering Charles Barkley said early in the TNT halftime show during the All-Star Game.
A day after the event, the singer released a statement about her performance and the reactions it garnered: “I’ve always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA. I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.”
Duhamel and Fergie were married for eight years before they divorced in 2017. They have a son.
Duhamel Defended Fergie After the All-Star Game
After the singer’s performance blew up on social media, Duhamel brought her flowers.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” the actor said on The Dan Patrick Show. “I was like, ‘I just want you to know, I got your back, girl. I’m with you, I’m on your side.’ … The girl’s amazingly talented, she really truly is. And by the way, her album is amazing. She’s had a challenging year but she is resilient.”
Days after the All-Star Game, Duhamel defended Fergie on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“I think that she would probably admit that it was not her best work,” he said. “But the girl’s crazy talented, she really is. And she’s an amazing woman, an amazing human being. It’s hard to see someone you care about get beat up like that. But that’s the business — you’re in this business, and you put yourself out there; sometimes you win, and sometimes you don’t.”