Josh Duhamel has defended his estranged wife Fergie after she was slammed for her rendition of the US national anthem at the NBA All-Star game last week.
The 42-year-old singer performed a slowed down version of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday (18.02.18) ahead of the annual exhibition basketball match, and was slammed for the rendition by celebrities and viewers alike.
Now, her former partner Josh – whom she split with last year and with whom she has four-year-old son Axl – has said that whilst the performance wasn’t her "best work", it was "hard" for him to see her be met with criticism.
Speaking during an appearance on ‘The Ellen Degeneres Show’ on Friday (23.02.18), the 45-year-old actor said: "I think that she would probably admit that it was not her best work. But the girl’s crazy-talented, she really is. And she’s an amazing woman, an amazing human being.
"It’s hard to see someone you care about get beat up like that. But that’s the business – you’re in this business, and you put yourself out there; sometimes you win, and sometimes you don’t.
"Trust me, she’s fine. She is about as resilient as they come."
The Black Eyed Peas singer previously issued an apology for her controversial performance, stating she "tried her best" to do something different, but that it just didn’t work out in her favour.
She said in a statement: "I’ve always been honoured and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA. I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best."
Fergie’s performance was slammed by viewers as "the worst ever", and several celebrities also took to social media to express their confusion at the divisive rendition.
Roseanne Barr – who performed a crotch-grabbing rendition of the tune in 1990 – wrote on Twitter: "Who saw Fergie’s national anthem performance at the NBA All Star Game? I think mine was better lowkey (sic)"
Josh Duhamel defends Fergie
