Fox News has apologized for a major case of mistaken identity today after they used a photo of Patti LaBelle to pay tribute to the late Aretha Franklin. During a Fox morning news segment that eulogized Franklin, a composite photo was used. In the foreground, you can see a photo that is clearly of Aretha Franklin. But, as Mashable reports, viewers soon noticed that the photo in the background was of Patti LaBelle.
Fox News offered its apologies for the major faux pas, but the reason they gave for the flub still has people scratching their heads. According to Mashable , in their statement, Fox News says that they wanted to use a photo of Patti LaBelle performing with Aretha Franklin, but they mistakenly cropped out the late singer. There’s a big problem with that explanation. Labelle was not on stage with Franklin when the photo was taken. The photo is from a solo performance at the White House in 2014. Franklin attended the function, but they never sang together.
Twitter users slammed Fox for making the mistake.
“@fox REALLY???? You don’t know the difference between Aretha and Patti? Shame on you!!!” a user tweeted.
“Just saw that Fox News used a picture of Patti LaBelle instead of a proper picture of Aretha *Sigh* A simple google search would have helped if you didn’t know who she was…jeez,” another user wrote.
. @fox REALLY???? You don’t know the difference between Aretha and Patti? Shame on you!!! pic.twitter.com/6BxCT05gZj
— Stephanie Boudreaux (@s_sboo) August 16, 2018
Just saw that Fox News used a picture of Patti LaBelle instead of a proper picture of Aretha *Sigh* A simple google search would have helped if you didn’t know who she was…jeez pic.twitter.com/pqYNhJy5QE
— ?Serenity? (@SweetOSerenity) August 17, 2018
The irony of Fox’s mistake is that there have long been rumors that the two well-respected R&B singers had an ongoing feud. It’s unclear what sparked the speculation, but there are have been quite a few instances of each diva throwing shady comments at the other.
For example, when LaBelle’s sweet potato pies were selling out because of a hilarious viral video, Aretha Franklin declared that she planned to release her own pie product.
“No, I haven’t,” Franklin said in an interview with Detroit’s WDIV Local 4 News when she was asked if she had heard about the success of LaBelle’s baked goods. “But Ms. Patti’s gonna have to move that pie to the side,” Franklin said before stating that she was collaborating with a food brand herself.
There was also a report that LaBelle and Franklin had a fistfight. But that was a parody article published by News Nerd in 2014, USA Today reports. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Franklin ended up filing a $10 million lawsuit against the publication for the story.
But despite the rumors of their “beef,” LaBelle paid a glowing tribute to the late Queen of Soul today on Twitter.
“I am deeply saddened about the passing of the Queen of Soul and my sister in song, Aretha Franklin,” she wrote. “Today the world has experienced a tremendous loss. Aretha was a rare treasure whose unmatched musical genius helped craft the soundtrack to the lives of so many.”
Rest in peace Aretha. ? pic.twitter.com/QT7HeY5SIf
— Patti LaBelle (@MsPattiPatti) August 16, 2018
