Usher is weeks away from headlining Super Bowl LVIII and is enjoying his first-ever cover of Vogue magazine. But the outlet is under fire for how it chose to honor Usher on his first cover.
Vogue took to social media on Wednesday, Jan. 17, to reveal Usher’s debut cover. He was accompanied by model Carolyn Murphy for the spread. But with the story focusing on the singer’s 30-year career and upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance, many wondered why he even had to share the cover.
“For Vogue’s Winter 2024 Digital issue, Usher discusses his 30-year career, his lifelong love of fashion, and what fans can expect at halftime next month,” Vogue shared
in its Instagram post.
The fashion outlet also tagged Murphy who shared the cover and additional shots on her page and praised Usher for being “a leading man in every sense” during their photoshoot. But after sharing the cover on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, it was clear that the majority of viewers were confused by Usher sharing his Vogue cover with a white woman and a youth football team.
“Who is this lady,” one Instagram user asked.
“I don’t understand the cover,” added someone else.
The backlash was fierce on social media with many questioning why the “Yeah” singer was “in the background” of his own cover.
“this ain’t it..at all, like how did this even get approved?” one person asked.
“They didn’t even put Usher front and center!” added someone else.
Another Twitter user questioned if Vogue considered Usher a “big enough” star for his own cover.
There were even comparisons between Usher’s cover and LeBron James’s 2008 cover with Gisele Bundchen that sparked controversy.
Meanwhile, Usher is focused on amplifying R&B music during his halftime show.
“This night was specifically curated in my mind to have R&B take the main stage,” he told Vogue. “Not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.”
He’s following up Rihanna who headlined in 2023 and became the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all time with with 121.017 million viewers.
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