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Vince Neil Explains Why He Was ‘Fired’ From Trump Inauguration Gig

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 22:17 PST, Nov 19, 2016

Vince Neil is speaking out regarding the mix-up over his previously scheduled performance at the upcoming presidential inauguration in January. In an interview with TMZ, the former Motley Crue frontman said he was uninvited to play the high-profile gig after Donald Trump won the election.

“As far as I knew, we were playing,” Neil told TMZ.

“It turns out when the Republicans won, we were uninvited. I didn’t know about the Democratic part of asking us to play. I assumed… it didn’t matter who won, it would still be a party. I guess there is more politics in bands playing than I thought there was…I asked my guys, and they said once Trump won, it was all politics. I don’t know who’s playing Trump’s party, but God bless them.”

Vince Neil reiterated his statements on social media, explaining to fans that he was asked to play the inauguration “several months ago” before anyone knew who would be the 45th president. Vince added that now that Trump won, he’s not playing.

Last week, Vince Neil told Billboard he would be performing with his own band at the inauguration on January 20.

“The promoters asked if I was available, and I said yes,” Vince told Billboard. “So we sent all of the band’s passports to the Secret Service so everybody can get in, and all of the crew people, not knowing who was winning. But we were already scheduled to play.”

At the time, Neil, who recorded the songs “Dr. Feelgood” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” as part of Motley Crue, added that he wasn’t sure how long he would have to play or if the Republican party would dictate which songs he could perform.

“I don’t know how long I have to play,” Neil said. “I don’t know if the Republican Party says which [songs] to play and what not to do. It’s a little ways out. I’ll have more information as time goes on.”

Before the plug was pulled on Vince Neil’s appearance, haters had a field day over the prospect of the rocker’s unlikely inauguration gig.

Indeed, Vince Neil was a controversial choice to play the inauguration to begin with. In 1984, Neil made headlines for a drunk driving accident that killed his friend, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley, and seriously injured two passengers in the other car. Many people were outraged when Vince only served part of a 30-day jail sentence and received five years of probation after the tragic accident. Neil was also ordered to pay $2.6 million in restitution and perform 200 hours of community service.

More recently, Vince Neil made headlines for misdemeanor battery charges in a bizarre altercation with actor Nicolas Cage at a Las Vegas hotel this past April. Neil has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, spend six months on “informal probation” and undergo impulse-control counseling, according to TMZ.

With the inauguration appearance now scrapped, Vince Neil won’t be crossing paths with Donald Trump anytime soon. While the rocker has signed to the upcoming season of The Celebrity Apprentice, he won’t be getting hired—or fired—by Donald Trump. The president-elect has been replaced by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the upcoming season of the NBC reality show.

On Celebrity Apprentice, Vince will go head-to-head against fellow musicians Boy George and Carnie Wilson as well as several other celebs to raise money for charity. While the show doesn’t premiere until January, the Las Vegas Sun reports that Vince Neil raised more than $200,000 for his Keep Memory Alive charity as part of just one of the competitions. The competition involved a pop-up cupcake and doughnut shop at See’s Candies in Los Angeles, with Vince Neil’s good friend, comedian Carrot Top, pitching in to help him with the challenge. Vince Neil has already said that some of the cash he has raised will go to the Fight MSA foundation at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.

Take a look at the video below to see Vince Neil explaining why he was uninvited to the inauguration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-gJndVB5i4

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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