[REVISION HISTORY]

Katy Perry protests White House Iran video

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-07-28 09:58 UTC → 2026-07-28 09:58 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Late July 2026 the White House TikTok account posted an eight‑second video on July 23 showing U.S. strikes on ~~Iran~~ an Iranian warship set to Katy Perry’s 2010 hit “Firework.” The caption read “Iran has been warned” with a fireworks ~~emoji, and~~ emoji; the clip quickly amassed over 6 million ~~views and more than 600 000 likes.~~ views. Perry responded on X on July 25, saying she was “deeply appalled and angry” that the song was used without ~~her~~ permission and ~~noting~~ that “Firework” is meant as an anthem of hope, healing and inner strength, not a soundtrack for warfare. She reiterated the condemnation on July 26, calling the ~~usage “a complete~~ pairing a “total violation of everything my song stands ~~for.” By July 26 the video had surpassed seven million views. Perry also pointed out~~ for” and emphasizing that her music is intended “to bring people together, not to celebrate war.” In her statement Perry referenced earlier protests by other ~~artists—ABBA,~~ musicians – including ABBA, Beyoncé, Céline Dion and Sabrina Carpenter—have previously protested the Trump administration’s unauthorized use of their music in political or immigration‑related videos. Perry’s protest joins earlier objections from other artists—Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and others—who Carpenter – who have ~~criticised the use~~ objected to unauthorized uses of their ~~music in political or government messaging.~~ songs by previous administrations. The White House video’s view count has since risen to over seven million, and the administration has not removed the ~~video and has~~ post or offered no comment. The episode ~~has kept the~~ continues to fuel debate over artists’ rights and the use of copyrighted music in official ~~communications in the public eye, highlighting ongoing tensions between~~ government ~~communication strategies and creative‑rights advocacy in the digital age.~~ communications.

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