With turkey in your tummy and Ellie Goulding on the telly, there’s a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The 32-year-old pop star led the halftime show at the annual Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game on Nov. 28 by hyping up the football fans gathered at the AT&T stadium in Arlington with her hits. But even though her performance was great, many couldn’t stop staring at her hat that fans said looked like a “lamp shade”. One fan on Twitter reacted by saying, “Ellie Goulding out here looking a like a Mortal Kombat DLC Character.” And another said, “Ellie Goulding out here looking like Cruella de Ville got stuck in a lampshade…” Yikes! See some of the photos below.
Interestingly, the performance almost didn’t happen. The halftime show also served as the official kick-off for the Red Kettle Campaign, which services those in need with shelter, food, Christmas toys and social service program and is led by The Salvation Army. At first, Ellie raved about the organization and its mission, which she shared in a Nov. 12 Instagram post that showed the singer feeding the homeless with The Salvation Army. That led fans to bring up concerns that the international organization holds anti-LGBTQ beliefs, a controversy that has surrounded The Salvation Army for years.
“Upon researching this, I have reached out to The Salvation Army and said that I would have no choice but to pull out unless they very quickly make a solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community,” Ellie wrote on Instagram that same day, according to Dallas News. She continued, “I am a committed philanthropist as you probably know, and my heart has always been in helping the homeless, but supporting an anti-LGBTQ charity is clearly not something I would ever intentionally do. Thank you for drawing my attention to this x.”
https://twitter.com/HighRiskSA/status/1200190051402928129
Ellie Goulding out here looking a like a Mortal Kombat DLC Character pic.twitter.com/Df0Hzak48k
— The Quinoa Killah (@RufukoGibsuhh) November 28, 2019
Alas, the show went on as planned. The Salvation Army quickly released its own statement to Dallas News and other outlets, assuring that it serves “anyone” in need. David Hudson, National Commander of the Salvation Army, thanked Ellie in an emailed statement for “shedding light on misconceptions and encouraging others to learn the truth about the Salvation Army’s mission to serve all, without discrimination.” He further added that “regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity, we’re committed to serving anyone in need. Every day, we provide services such as shelter for the transgender community and resources for homeless youth — 40 percent of whom identify as gay or transgender.”
It has been a memorable year for Ellie. Not only has she been working on her fifth studio album and booked the biggest Thanksgiving Day gig, the singer also tied the knot with Caspar Joplin, 27, in a gorgeous English ceremony on Aug. 31!
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