After Rocky Past With Donald Trump, Lil Jon is in Chicago for the DNC

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The Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago on August 19, 2024, with celebrities including HGTV star and rapper Lil Jon.

As the Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicks off on August 19, 2024, many celebrity supporters are in Chicago to perform and make appearances, including rapper and HGTV star Lil Jon.

The “Lil Jon Wants to Do What” star made his television debut on “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2011 and has had a rocky relationship with his co-star, former President Donald Trump, who is the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

On the first night of the DNC, Atlanta native Lil Jon will DJ a party for the Democratic Party of Georgia at Chicago’s PRYSM nightclub, according to the New York Times. Tickets for the fundraiser, which is also scheduled to feature Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams, are $500 and $750.

President Donald Trump made headlines for his interactions with Lil Jon on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

GettyDonald Trump and Lil Jon attend the ‘All Star Celebrity Apprentice’ red carpet event at Trump Tower on May 16, 2013 in New York City.

Long before Lil Jon had his own HGTV design show, he appeared on Trump’s business reality show ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ in 2011 and came in third place. In 2013, an “All-Star” version of the series also appeared.

When Trump first ran for president, Lil Jon told Virgin Radio Dubai in April 2016 that he chose to remain “neutral”, not expressing support for Trump or Hilary Clinton, adding that he valued his time with Trump in the show. .

“Honestly, Mr. Trump did a lot of great things for me when I was on the show and he didn’t have to,” the rapper said at the time. “I remember, like, the first time I really met him … his kids had already told him I was somebody special and he was like, ‘Okay, we’ll see.’ Later, doing the show, he saw my skills and how I handled people and tasks, my knowledge and everything else. And he gave me a lot of respect, so I don’t have anything negative to say about him from my experiences.”

But months later, in October 2016, he changed his tune after several former “Celebrity Apprentice” employees told The Daily Beast that when Lil Jon appeared in an Uncle Sam suit to promote a hair care product on ‘All-Star Celebrity Apprentice’ Trump Instead, they repeatedly called him ‘Uncle Tom’ and producers had to explain to him several times that he was being racially insensitive .

Lil Jon confirmed the story in a tweet and wrote: “I can’t say whether or not he actually knew what he was saying, but he stopped using the term once I explained it was (sic) offensive.”

The rapper then added, “I also want to be clear that I do not agree with many of the statements that Mr. Trump has made during his current run for the presidency.”

Two years later, in May 2018, the “Turn Down for What” rapper told Power 106 that his son was “hanging out with Trump” at the “Celebrity Apprentice” finale and that the real estate mogul had done a lot to help his the charity. while it was on the air.

“The Trump I knew was nothing like what’s going on now,” he told the station. “Now it’s just ‘another animal.’

A few months later, in November 2018, President Trump made headlines during a White House press conference when a reporter asked him about Lil Jon’s story, citing it as one of several examples of racially offensive comments he had made. others reported Trump to them.

“I don’t know who Lil Jon is,” Trump responded, and then, when told the rapper was on “Celebrity Apprentice,” he said, “Oh, he was? I understand.”

Trump also insisted at the press conference: “I have never used racist remarks.”

Lil Jon’s opinion of President Donald Trump got even worse after he took office

By October 2020, Lil Jon’s opinion of Trump had gotten even worse. When someone on Twitter asked him if he would consider “supporting our great president,” according to the Huffington Post, Lil Jon replied, “How about (expletive) NOOOOOO.”

Weeks later, on November 9, Lil Jon blasted Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar in a tweet after the politician used lyrics from his 2002 hit “Get Low” to brag about winning his race for a feature with 69.69% of the vote, on Billboard.

When Gosar he posted on Twitter“69.69 damn that’s good. what do you say @LilJon,” the rapper replied, “DON’T QUOTE MY SONGS BRUH. ON ANOTHER NOTE R HELP YOU ON 45 He’s packing his (complaint)”

Now, as the race heats up between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to be officially declared the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee during the DNC, Lil Jon is back in the fray. In addition to DJing the Aug. 19 after-party fundraiser, he didn’t stop anyone from using the same song Gosar cited in 2020 — “Get Low” — to support Harris and her running mate, Gov. Minnesota Tim Walz.

In a goofy dance video, TikTok user Robert Blackmon went viral for slightly altering the song’s lyrics by singing “To the window, to the Walz” in support of Harris’ VP pick. The idea took off and many other social media memes now feature the lyrics.

Liv Lane is an entertainment writer covering the Hallmark Channel, HGTV, American Idol and The Voice for Heavy. Based in Minneapolis, she has three decades of experience as a local and national radio host, columnist and publicist, interviewing and working with a wide range of celebrities over the years, from Deepak Chopra to Lil Nas X. More about Liv Lane