Katy Perry Slams White House Over Unauthorized Use of "Firework" in Military Strike Video

Katy Perry took to X on Friday, July 25, 2026, to publicly condemn the White House for using her 2010 hit "Firework" without authorization as the soundtrack to a TikTok video showing footage of a military strike on Iran. The video's caption read "Iran has been warned." Perry said she was never consulted and does not endorse the usage.

What Perry said

Perry wrote that she was "deeply disturbed and angered to see 'Firework' used on the White House TikTok as the soundtrack to a military strike video," adding: "I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I do not condone it."

She explained the song's original intent: "I wrote this song to give people going through the darkest moments of their lives hope, healing, and inner strength." She called the White House's use of the track "a complete violation of everything the song stands for," concluding: "My music is meant to bring people together, not celebrate war."

Perry is currently in a relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who publicly clashed with Trump multiple times during Trump's first term.

Part of a pattern: other artists have raised the same objection

Perry's statement comes roughly a month after Ariana Grande raised a similar protest, criticizing the White House for using her music in a TikTok promoting ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and directly asking that her music "never be used for something so cruel and inhumane."

According to Far Out Magazine, Boards of Canada, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo have also spoken out after the White House used their music without authorization. "Firework," released in 2010, has logged more than 560 combined weeks on charts worldwide since its release.