Why Are People Mad at Beyoncé? The Singer’s Homage to the Buffalo Soldiers Went Left
Many people get made at Beyoncé for simply existing, but, in June 2025, she received hate for something deeper.
Published June 24 2025, 2:27 p.m. ET
As one of music's brightest stars, there isn't much Beyoncé can do that won't cause an uproar. Whether she decides to drop a surprise album or two or brings shocks her fans with a surprise guest on a tour stop, she doesn't have to make a scene.
Like many of the greats that came before her and are beside her, Beyoncé's choices haven't always been received well. While the Beyhive will likely never stop buzzing, there are multiple people trying to use their best bug spray on them and their queen.
Beyoncé has been criticized for many of her actions, but one action in particular backfired, leading fans to express their hate towards her. So, what's the beef with Queen Bey? Let's find out!
Why are people mad at Beyoncé?
Many people get made at Beyoncé for simply existing, but, in June 2025, she received hate for something deeper. In June 2025, she performed in Paris for her Cowboy Carter Tour. While performing for her audience on Juneteenth, she wore a shirt paying homage to the Buffalo Solidiers, an all-Black regiments that operated in the American West during the 19th century. Beyoncé didn't address the shirt onstage, but she also posted multiple photos of her wearing the shirt on Instagram.
Beyoncé's outfit was initially deemed by some of her fans as another nod to Black western history, as Buffalo had a significant presence in Texas, as well as New Mexico and Colorado. One X (formerly Twitter) user applauded the Grammy winner for "honoring the Black soldiers who fought for a country that barely accepted them." However, others felt she was on the wrong side of history and expressed as much on social media.
Beyoncé was digitally dragged by many social media commenters who reflected on the Buffalo Soldiers' dark history.
On June 22, three days after Beyoncé's Juneteenth performance, an X user named @samchilles called the singer out for her outfit. The user posted a side-by-side image of Bey wearing the Buffalo Soldiers shirt and essay on the Buffalo Soldiers highlighting the not-so-celebrated part of the military unit's legacy.
"Bey is one of my all time fav artists, i’m so upset," the user wrote. "Why is she glorifying the genocide of indigenous americans?"
According to the Colorado Encyclopedia, although the Buffalo Soldiers are celebrated for creating opportunities for Black men in a post-slavery era, its legacy also includes "the fact that they killed and helped disenfranchise another nonwhite people [Native Americans] on behalf of a nation that still did not consider African Americans to be full citizens." National Park Service also stated that the American Plains Indians were the ones who gave the soldiers their nicknames due to their dark, curly hair that resembled a buffalo's coat and their fierce level of fighting.
Those familiar with the Black Soldiers' sorted history shared their opinions about Beyoncé wearing the shirt. Like the X user above, many of the singer's day-one supporters couldn't get behind her decision. While some agreed that her shirt seemingly encouraged Native American genocide and "military propaganda," something she's been accused of during the entirety of her Cowboy Carter tour.
Others, however, noted that productions like and Americans' choice to celebrate Thanksgiving was just as foul. Regardless, Beyoncé hasn't addressed the shirt and, as always, likely won't.