Here are some photos of Kesha at the Humane Society’s Rescue Gala a few weeks ago in LA. It’s good to see Kesha out and about these days, trying to reclaim her career and her life after everything that’s gone down legally and personally with Dr. Luke. The last time we checked in on Kesha’s legal situation, the federal judge had thrown out part of Kesha’s appeal, and Kesha was and is still legally and contractually tied to Dr. Luke and his label, Kemosabe Records. The judge seemed to believe that even if Kesha’s claims of physical and emotional abuse were true, Dr. Luke would still support Kesha’s music and give her free rein to record and perform, because capitalism. Let’s see how that’s working out, shall we? For several days, Kesha and her team were making a big deal about how she would be performing at the Billboard Awards on May 22 (this Sunday). She was going to perform a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s Ain’t Me, Babe.” She got written permission from Kemosabe Records, but then Dr. Luke rescinded the permission. So… yeah. FREE KESHA.
Sad news for Kesha and her fans. The “TiK ToK” singer has been barred from taking the stage at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, May 22. Dick Clark Productions, which oversees the annual awards show, released a statement on Tuesday, May 17, revealing that the 29-year-old’s scheduled performance has been canceled by her producer, Dr. Luke, and her label Kemosabe Records. The singer has been in a contentious legal battle with Dr. Luke, 42, over allegations that he sexually abused her.
“Kesha accepted an invitation to perform on the show and she received written approval from Dr. Luke’s record label, Kemosabe Records,” Dick Clark Productions said in a statement. “Kemosabe subsequently rescinded its approval following a media report on Wednesday May 11 regarding Kesha’s appearance on the BBMAs. Unfortunately, Kesha and Kemosabe have since been unable to come to an agreement for Kesha to perform on the show. Dick Clark Productions has a long standing relationship with Kesha. We hope that the parties can come to an arrangement such that we can continue that long standing relationship with a performance by Kesha on the Billboard Music Awards stage on May 22nd.”
Not long after, Kesha took to Instagram to respond to the news that her BBMAs set has been canceled.
“I was very excited to perform a tribute to Bob Dylan by singing a cover of ‘It ain’t me, babe’ at the Billboard awards this year. I’m very sad and sorry to say I won’t be allowed to do this,” she wrote. “I just wanted to make very clear that this performance was about me honoring one of my favorite songwriters of all time and has never had anything at all to do with Dr. Luke. I was never going to use a picture of him, speak of him or allude to my legal situation in any way. I simply wanted to sing a song I love to honor an artist I have always looked up to. thank u all for the continued support.”
According to TMZ, Dr. Luke put a halt to Kesha’s performance after catching wind that it was reportedly going to make a “statement” about her legal war with her former collaborator and Sony.
Remember how the judge who threw out Kesha’s case and her appeal thought it would be easy-peasy for Kesha to record and perform without having to break her contract with Dr. Luke? That for Dr. Luke, it was always going to be about profit and money and not exerting control over his (alleged) victim? How’s that working out? It’s mind-boggling that Dr. Luke has the authority and the audacity to shut down Kesha in this way, and to do it so publicly. For the love of God… FREE KESHA.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
Man, this guy really doesn’t care one bit about how he’s publicly perceived. He’s just gonna screw her at every available turn, just to make a point. If anybody doubted his abuse of her before, I hope this clears that up.
+1,000
Exactly!!!
Exactly this! What kind of idiot does this guy have to be? An idiot with all the power in this situation, I guess.
actually this one makes sense in terms of public perception. most people wont hear about this but they would have heard about Kesha making a statement about him at the awards.
I’m sure Kesha’s team made clear to Luke that the statement thing was false. He went ahead and cancelled anyway. He clearly doesn’t want her to have a career unless he’s the one controlling it.
Kesha is smart enough to know that a public statement would cause more harm to her case than good. She wouldn’t do something so stupid and risk all the support she’s gotten this far. It’s just another way for Luke to taunt her and shut down her career because of the small insecure disgusting man that he is.
I doubt Kesha was going to do anything pointed. As an attorney, I know that in matters on ongoing litigation, any lawyer worth their own would advise the client to do or say absolutely nothing to comment on the case, even symbolically. I am sure Kesha’s lawyers are telling her the same. And she’s a smart girl, she knows what’s up. A public diss would be the dumbest thing she could do – and I’m sure everyone involved knows it. Luke is blocking her performance because he can, and because it lets Kesha know that he still controls her.
Exactly. The whole thing is sickening.
YUP
He has labels and desperstes for a hit giving him employment. Sick nasty.
Truer words were never spoken. 😣
I’m not a lawyer but I’m assuming that if he continues to make this kind of choices as her manager than it will strengthen her appeal and/or a new case. This showcases that he isn’t acting in her best interests career wise and is probably easier to prove than the abuse & rape; which I know happened it’s just always hard to prove in court. #freekesha
This situation is ridiculous! I can only hope this shows how much control luke has over keshas career, and helps in her appeal.
I’m wondering about the effect on her appeal too. Last week her new song True Colors was pulled off radio the day before it’s official radio release. Then this happens. I hope an appeals judge sees that the offer Kesha got that would allow her to work with other producers and have her music promoted was a completely empty promise.
This. The only good thing to come out of it is evidence that he is in fact harming her career- and I hope it helps her overturn her ruling.
She needs to pull a straight up Prince on these fools. So, now not only has she been physically, sexually, emotionally violated and manipulated, but she also has to endure being restricted artistically and in her career? I hope they’re preparing a very special place in hell for Dr. Luke.
She has tried to get out of her contract and the court told her no.
Yes, I’m aware.
I was just thinking that!! She should become “the singer formally known as Kesha” and stunt all over him and his label!
I hope she can change her name and perform again! Can she pull a Prince?
She looks REALLY different.
Nothing else to add that I haven’t said already so Team Kesha.
Her hair is terrible, but aside from that she looks really great!
That hair! I think that’s the real reason she won’t be performing.
Her face is different.
What a scumbag! Why are judges not seeing through all this bulls? Poor Ke$ha 🙁
I wonder if she could write/sing under a different name?
This guy is a pig. He should never work with women, or actually anyone, ever again.
I thought she was Taylor Swift in that picture at first.
I thought it was Iggy Azalea!
I thought it was an old picture of Suzanne Somers. I think she looks great.
I didn’t even know that he had the authority to do that.. I hope things work out for her because no one deserves this.
I know, it’s really sick and sad. Free Kesha indeed.
I don’t understand why she needs their permission to perform?
And to everyone defending this dbag — this is classic abuser tactics. Controlling her movements, restricting her ability to earn money, and reminding her that he owns her life.
I only hope that she can use this insanity to push forward another appeal.
She’s under contract (to that dirtbag), that includes any and all media performances.
Agreed – the judge threw out her case by saying very specifically that Dr. Luke wouldn’t do things like this. And he is. I’d go back to court and use this as an example of why she needs to be let out of her contract.
I’m not even a fan of hers and don’t even really like her music but damn. #FREEKESHA
That is not what the judge said. The judge said she could record with other producers. Dr, Luke and Sony have both said she can record with other producers. The judge did not address situations such as this. Kesha started this war a long time ago. She did everything she could to get out of her contract. When none of those tactics worked….she cried rape. Karma is b@tch.
Hi Dr Luke.
I thought he rescinded it because he found out plans she had to diss him on stage in some way in her performance.
That was a rumor posted by TMZ that even Harvey Levin didn’t believe. There was no way Kesha was going to make a statement against Luke. But he can use that fake story as an excuse to make it seem like he wasn’t being unreasonable.
Actually that’s exactly what she did at Coachella. I’m Team Dr. Luke. Kesha is a phony and a fraud.
Well, look at it this way. If he continues to be a f**king a$$hole and behaves this way, then he will destroy his own career. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
And that judge needs to pull his head out of his own ass.
Didn’t he just produce JLo’s recent single released a couple of weeks ago?Is this scandal really affecting his career? IDK
That JLO song was written by Meghan Trainor and produced years ago, and probably only sold/given to JLO late last year or this year. So this is an old song.
Only an idiot would believe he would allow her to perform and possibly make a “statement” about her situation.
Only an idiot would believe she ever planned to do such a thing. Even Harvey Levin agreed there was no way Kesha’s lawyer Daniel Petrocelli would even have allowed her to do such a thing. And Kesha is way too sensible and cautious to do something that would annoy the judge in the case. Luke would have likely pulled the plug on the performance anyway. The false TMZ story simply gave him a reason. Now we need the reason why Kesha’s latest single True Colors got pulled off radio.
Her lawyer should investigate the source of that TMZ story. Would not be surprised if the trail led back to Dr. Luke. It was too convenient of an excuse.
Clark should just invite her up on stage to stand silently while the intro and tag of the song play behind her. Then she should wave and walk off.
I like that, or have other performers come together to play it and dedicate it to her.
I love that idea.
That would be awesome.
Dick Clark died in 2012. It would kinda hard for him to invite her up to the stage 🙂 But *some* performer should give her a shout out and say WHY she’s not performing.
That is Horrible the fact that this a-hole is getting away with this basically backed by Sony is a disgrace
This poor woman is nothing more than a prisoner. Dr. Luke is despicable.
It’s crazy how these record companies have so much control over their clients. If she was performing a song that he wrote/produced, it would kind of make sense. I don’t get how he can prevent her from covering another person’s song.
That son of a bitch. I hope all of this situation ends up blowing up in his face.
FFS, Dr. Douchebag is preventing Kesha from earning a goddamn LIVING. Is that JUSTICE? Is that RIGHT or FAIR? I couldn’t name one Kesha song, but this is straight-up an injustice.
Agree. I hope this blows up in his face in a major way.
This makes me sick and I am not even a Kesha fan. Disgusting. The man publicly owns her and no one can do a thing.
I would like the Judge to explain how this act of alleged rapist Dr Luke is within the spirit of the law that the Judge was following in his ruling.
Also, I would love Sony to lose millions directly as a result of their support of the alleged rapist dr luke.
I wonder how the people in the alleged rapist dr Luke’s office side eye him these days.
This is gross. This cannot stand.
Isn’t this a case she can bring to that judge? Poor Kesha.
By the way her bags are terrible.
Why couldn’t Kesha have gottenLa- Lohan’s council? I mean I think she ended up with that idgit’s karma somehow. This situation is SO wrong!
I have no problem with her being shut down. I honestly do not believe her accusations against him (and I am a woman). She does not have a shred of proof against him other than her word. Why should we believe her over him? Because she’s a woman? I don’t think so. She tried for years to get out of her contract, when nothing worked, she finally accused him of rape. God forbid if anyone posting ever gets accused of an “alleged” rape with absolutely no proof. He was tried, convicted and condemned in the court of public opinion. Show me evidence beyond a shadow of doubt he drugged and raped her and I will be the first one jumping up and down that he needs to go to prison.
Well I know I shouldn’t be feeding the troll…
…no, people aren’t supporting her “because she’s a woman”. People are supporting her because even if you blindly supported the ‘alleged’ victim with NO FACTs, you would still be proven right 99.99999% of the time. False rape accusations are exceedingly rare. Even though MRA’s like to promote that they’re a daily occurrence….no. They’re rare.
Also, there’s a lot of evidence that Dr. Luke IS abusive to the women he works with and other celebs have come out in support of Kesha including Kelly Clarkson who never gets involved with Drama. I believe her.
I couldn’t tell if the person was just trolling for attention, or if they’re just a part of the crowd that makes it their business to defend male public figures accused of rape and malign the victims. It’s practically a political movement all by itself now.
It’s good that Kesha is getting support from other people in the industry too. If only that were more common in Hollywood.
Le Sigh. Okay, clearly you know nothing about rape and rape statistics, the behaviour of victims etc.
For a start, the vast majority of rapes don’t have a “shred of evidence” and it becomes a case of believing one person or the other. However ALL of the statistics and studies into rape show that false accusations are incredibly rare, and usually people who falsely accused were molested and abused, just not by the person they accused. Sure, there is the occasional psycho who falsely accuses, just like there’s the occasional psycho who kills people. It is rare.
Why is that? Well let’s start with the fact that the idea of a stranger hiding in the bushes and raping you by knife-point is the most common idea of rape but is actually relatively rare. The vast majority of rapes are perpetrated by someone known and usually trusted by the victim. Usually in a house (most commonly in a bedroom or kitchen) well-known to them. Most are not violent enough to leave bruises etc and examinations are problematic because rough sex and rape look the same to an examiner.
Then there is the fact that a very common response to rape is to “freeze” once it has started leading many perpetrators to be convinced that it was all okay in the wash.
After that comes the trauma. Being raped is a loss of power over your own body in the most awful way. To be forcefully penetrated is soul-destroying. Victims usually go into shock and they behave in strange ways. They often deny it happened – because they don’t want to believe it themselves. They might suppress it and pretend everything is fine. Keep dating a partner that raped them to try and pretend it didn’t happen. Eventually though, that stuff will come bubbling to the surface and the best way to deal with it is to talk about it openly.
Then you have a number of problems. First of all there is the shame. We live in a rape culture and victims feel ashamed, embarrassed, and they tend to blame themselves. It is also common for the victims to have patchy or faulty memories of the exact turn of events due to the nature of what happens to the brain when you go into shock. That makes prosecuting difficult.
Most don’t report straight away meaning there is no physical evidence – and even if there is there are the problems with the evidence too. Rape kits are insanely awful to go through and many states in the US (for example) have years-long backlogs on rape kits and nothing is done.
Then there is the fact that society is not kind to victims of rape. People like yourself often completely dismiss the victims. They are blamed and shamed. Their behaviour is torn apart. Just look at the women who came out against Bill Cosby. Look at all those teenage girls raped by boys and basically driven out of town by the hideous backlashes against them – despite the fact that they were the victims of an awful crime. The slut-shaming is intense. On top of that is the fact that, seeing as most people are raped by people known to them, there is the fear that their OWN friends and family will take the perpetrator’s side against them. That is terrifying.
On top of all of this is the fact that the justice system STILL deals woefully with rape. Only something like 25% of rapes are reported. Of those reported a tiny number are investigated, of those investigated, a tiny percentage have charges laid, of those with charges laid, a tiny percentage make it to court. Once in court it is still common for victims to face lawyers and judges or shame and blame them (the quotes I’ve read from judges are insane). Some even have to face being cross-examined by their perpetrators. Only a very small number are found guilty. Those are usually sentenced to ridiculously small sentences.
So with all of that stacked against a victim, Why the F*CK anyone thinks someone would claim rape for fun or as a tool or just because is beyond me. Being internationally slut shamed and disbelieved is not a walk in the park. Having intimate details of your life exposed and picked over so that people can turn around and call you a liar and a slut simultaneously is not fun.
It took me 3 months to admit to myself that what had happened to me (being pinned down by my boyfriend while recovering from an operation, weak, on my period, and a virgin and forcibly entered despite my crying, repeated protestations etc) was not okay and to admit what had happened. It took another 3 months to tell anyone. A few people I told stayed good friends with the guy, which was crushing (even though they said they weren’t surprised when I told them). It took me 5 years to get over it. 10 years to tell my mother. I never took it to the police; but I will never forget it. If that guy now controlled my life? My god. The damage to me would be insane.
It is completely unsurprising to me that it would take her years to tell anyone. There were detailed rumours floating around about it for years and she denied them – that’s totally consistent with victim behaviour. And his controlling behaviour now is completely consistent with a perpetrator. He is still taking her control over herself away from her.
If I were you, I’d do some research into rape. Seems like you need to educate yourself before commenting.
@SK thank you so much for sharing all that information.
I know it’s been at least a decade since you experienced what you did however I just wanted to offer you love, compassion and gratitude. It means the world to me whenever people stand up and point out the flaws in the false victim argument. I hope wherever you are you’re having a lovely day.
I think people need to allow the judicial system to work before they jump on a bandwagon the minute someone cries rape without a shred of evidence. You all can criticize my opinion, call me a troll etc., You can quote statistics until the cows come home. It still does not negate the fact that there is not one shred of evidence other than her word against his. I’m sorry, I am not going to play judge, jury and executioner simply because I am a “fan” of her music.
Woody Allen just opened Cannes, and now this.
I know it’s not just the entertainment industry, but there really are no consequences for powerful male abusers, are there? Not when the victims are girls and women. They just get to keep silencing their victims and profiting off it.
I guess I am adding Sony movies and music on my pile of “things I won’t spend my hardworking money on”. One person alone will make no difference, but I can sleep well knowing I am not supporting companies that let employees be mistreated.
Bastard. He was hoping it would die down and he could twist her. Let’s go, Kesha’s publicist and lawyer. Earn your money.
I know this is unrelated to the situation, which is a shitty situation for her (FREE KESHA!!!) but does she look a bit vintage Christina Aguilera here or what?
I don’t understand how he can control her performing a song that’s not tied to him in any way?
Hm. Sounds like my ex.
Control.
Punish.
Gaslight.
YUCK.