‘Despicable’ – Outrage as Jay Z and Beyonce sat during national anthem at the Super Bowl

Social media has reacted angrily as Jay-Z and Beyonce sat through the national anthem at the just ended super bowl.

The power couple who were with their eight-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy have been called ‘unpatriotic’ while others have accused them of harboring hatred toward the United States.

With a combined worth of over $1.4 million, according to Forbes, their actions set off a fierce debate after the footage emerged Sunday. The video showed them in an insensitive posture by not budging while singer Demi Lavato took the stage.

In a tweet, political commentator and talk show host, Tomi Lahren criticized the couple, saying: ‘Beyoncé & Jay-Z (former crack dealer) sit for the national anthem because apparently the United States of America has oppressed them with millions upon millions of dollars & fans. Sounds rough. Maybe they should try another country that allows them a little more freedom & success?’

She added in another post: ‘You hate the police, Donald Trump, and the spirit of this nation so much you can’t pick your privileged asses off the chair for 2 mins to pay some respect? Despicable.’

According to Dailymail, some other critics have accused Jay-Z of hypocrisy for not standing for the anthem, possibly in a nod to Colin Kaepernick’s Black Lives Matter kneeling protest, after the ‘Empire State of Mind’ rapper signed a deal with the NFL.

It is unclear the motive behind them sitting, however, Kaepernick has waded in the conversation.

He shared a news story about Jay-Z and Beyonce not standing and wrote: ‘I thought we were past kneeling though?’   

Jay-Z has come under intense backlash after his Roc Nation partnered with the NFL to produce the halftime show. At the time of inking the deal, he was accused of betraying Kaepernick who had been out of job in 2016 for kneeling in protest of police brutality during the national anthem. 

Speaking to ABC News,  attorney for Kaepernick, Mark Geragos criticized the partnership, describing it as “cold-blooded.”

“This deal between Jay-Z and the NFL crosses the intellectual picket line,” Geragos said.

He also added that his client wasn’t made aware of the partnership before it was announced, quashing earlier reports that Kaepernick was pre-informed.

“I can confirm to you that the deal was already done prior to any conversation that [Kaepernick] had with Jay-Z and he certainly didn’t have any conversations with the NFL,” he added.

Super Bowl Sunday saw more than 60, 000 fans thronged the Hard Rock stadium. It was sparked up by performances from Latino singer, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

See reactions below: