No, Usher did not refuse to support Kamala Harris

What is the claim?

A video of U.S. singer and songwriter Usher speaking to American TV host Joy Behar has been shared online, alongside claims that he refused to support Kamala Harris when asked during the interview. 

In the video, Joy Behar asks him whether artists should speak out against Donald Trump. 

The clip shows Usher saying, "You know what? I don't get too deep into politics. I didn't get a chance to watch the debate last night. I obviously have been watching like everybody else. I think voting is an individual choice and I think that you are right; you have to look at the reality of the country that we are and the country we want to be and find the candidate that you feel both are who fits the category of where we want to be and that's it, and that's what you vote based off of. Who you highlight and how you choose to highlight it on whatever platform you have is your prerogative." 

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the video (archived here) and wrote, "BREAKING: Usher refuses to support Kamala Harris following Joy Behar's remarks calling Donald Trump an existential threat to her democracy." The post has 1,700 likes and 590 reposts. Archives of similar posts are here and here.

Screenshots of the viral posts shared online. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

The claim emerged after singer Taylor Swift officially endorsed Kamala Harris over Republican candidate Donald Trump for the U.S. presidential election.

However, the claim is false. The original clip shows Usher endorsing Kamala Harris.

Here are the facts

Through Google search, we found the original video of Usher's interview on the YouTube channel "The View" (archived here), uploaded on September 11, 2024. 

In the interview at the 8:15 timestamp, Joy Behar asks Usher: "You are supporting Kamala Harris in this election, I understand." Usher replies, "Yes." 

After this, Behar speaks about Taylor Swift and her endorsement of Kamala Harris and asks Usher about his opinion on artists openly supporting Kamala Harris against Donald Trump. We can see the now-viral clip from the timestamp of 9:02. This makes it evident that the portion where Usher can be heard agreeing that he is supporting Kamala Harris has been edited out.

The verdict

A clipped video of the interview has been shared online to claim Usher did not voice support for Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. In the original video, we hear him affirm his support for Harris.

Follow Logically Facts' coverage and fact-checking of the U.S. Election 2024 here.