Sia Says She Turned Down a Photo With Trump in Solidarity With LGBTQ and Latinx Fans

If you needed another reason to love Sia, here’s one: She turned down Donald Trump. In a new interview, she says that in 2015, Trump asked her for a photo backstage at Saturday Night Live. Of course, no Sia Donald Trump photo exists because she declined, saying a picture together would hurt her queer and Mexican fans.

In her recent Rolling Stone interview, the enigmatic singer talks about her life and career. The entire article is worth reading, but near the end, she spills on the Sia Donald Trump encounter backstage at SNL.

It took place in 2015, while Trump was still running for president. He’d been invited to host the show, in a controversial move. Critics feared that, like the infamous Jimmy Fallon hair-tousling incident, it would give Trump relatability and basically function as a free campaign ad. Of course, in 2015, no one thought Trump would actually get the nomination. Oops.

Sia was the musical guest during the Trump episode; it was one of three times she’d appear on SNL that year. After the show, she said Trump called out her name and said, “We’ve got to get a photo!” According to the article, Sia froze in fear, hating to hurt anyone’s feelings — even someone like Trump.

But she also knew she couldn’t bring herself to take a photo with him, either. She replied, “Actually, do you mind if we don’t? I have a lot of queer and Mexican fans, and I don’t want them to think that I support your views.”

And oddly enough, Trump just said, “Oh, no problem. Then don’t.” Counter to her fears, he didn’t seem upset or hurt at all. She says, “It was as if he viewed me as protecting my brand. He respected that.”

She thanked him, and then, she admits, “I went into my dressing room and had crazy diarrhea.”

What do you think about the Sia Donald Trump encounter?

Featured image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images