Chris Weaver’s drag performance on “The Voice” stirs controversy

Chris Weaver wowed celebrity coaches on NBC’s The Voice during blind auditions. Weaver, a New York City worship leader by day, and drag performer Nedra Belle at night,  was eliminated in the playoff rounds, but the show brought him back for its finale in a glamourous performance of Bang Bang along with fellow drag singers and Jessie J.

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“The performance began with a black and white video that played to the tune of Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by Nancy Sinatra that was then pulled away to reveal Belle and three other drag singers in dazzling apparel in front of a jail set. Towards the end of the performance Jessie J showed up and began to sing with Belle and her friends, hitting every high note and every fierce pose,” according to Billboard coverage of the show.

Judging by the reaction of the audience and judges, the performance wowed most viewers. But not all of them. NewNextNow.com reported that NBC immediately began receiving angry tweets about the performance, suggesting the network “Think of the children.”

Sample tweets included:

“Shame on you NBC, I thought you catered to families. You really crossed the line when you allowed the ’drag queen’ act.”

“The Voice just upset my stomach,” wrote another woman.

The fact that Weaver is also a worship leader didn’t escape notice either.

“Just passed by The Voice and saw a guy claiming to be a ‘worship leader’ by day and drag queen by night. This show is produced by Roman Catholic Roma Downey. Probably high time prominent evangelicals stop having her speak in their churches, reckon?”

“Obviously the entire country isn’t as blessed as the LGBT community when it comes to being exposed to the beauty of a drag queen,” editorialized NewNextNow. “But imagine watching this act and actually thinking it is hurting children somehow.”

The power and strength of Weaver’s audition and subsequent performances, as well as the drag performance this week, led Billboard to suggest that he “has a star power to be reckoned with and is as fabulous as they come.”

Copyright The Gayly – December 22, 2017 @ 11:45 a.m. CST.