Jill Biden mentioned in her memoir that Jennifer Lopez nearly backed out of Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony. Jill Biden recently published her memoir, View from the East Wing, on June 2, 2026. In it, she noted that several performers were worried about their safety during Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2021. The concerns stemmed from the event taking place just days after the Capitol riot.
Jill Biden writes why Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez almost didn’t want to participate
Jill Biden mentioned in her memoir the reason why Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez were hesitant to participate in the former President’s inauguration ceremony. She discusses the incident in her memoir, “View from the East Wing,” which was published on June 2, 2026. Detailing the incident, she mentioned that there was a lot of tension in the air before the big event, particularly because of the January 6 Capitol riot, which made people even more scared of violence in Washington, D.C.
She revealed how organizers were worried about the safety of various performers after the January 6 riot. Talking about the riot, Jill mentioned that she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
After things became calm, National Guard troops tightened security and worked on preparing for the January 20 presidential inauguration.
However, fear still lingered in people’s minds. Jill said that many people who were invited to the high-profile ceremony were hesitant to attend.
Jill wrote in her book that people were scared of either getting COVID or being attacked by a mob. Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez were two of the biggest celebrity performers during the inauguration. The former First Lady wrote, “Everyone was nervous. We had to persuade her, as well as Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, that it would be safe enough for them to be there.” Gaga and Lopez ultimately decided to perform during the inauguration ceremony. While Gaga performed the national anthem, the “On the Floor” hitmaker delivered a musical performance.
Originally reported by Chhavi Puri on Reality Tea
