Canadian-born pop star Tate McRae is getting a cold reception in her native country after hyping up Team USA in an NBC ad for this year’s Winter Olympics.
On Tuesday, the singer — whose album “So Close to What” debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart last year — shared an ad promoting NBC’s broadcast of Friday’s opening ceremony at the Milan Cortina Games.
The clip depicts McRae in ski gear asking a snowy owl for directions to the “amazing” ceremony so she can meet Team USA.
“Then, it’s the weekend with America’s best skating for gold, and Lindsey Vonn’s epic comeback. Then back to the States for the big game: Super Bowl 60,” continued McRae, teasing NBC’s coverage of the major sporting events.
The ad is soundtracked by McRae’s single, “Nobody’s Girl,” and features highlights of Team USA.
The 22-year-old, who described herself as a New York City resident last year, was born in Calgary, Alberta and is notably a fan of the city’s NHL team, the Calgary Flames. Back in 2016, she made waves on the U.S. version of “So You Think You Can Dance” and finished in third place on the show.
McRae’s Team USA praise didn’t sit well with several Canadians, including Virgin Radio Toronto hosts Daryn Jones and Deepa Prashad, the latter of whom asked if the pop star was a “sellout.”
“Do they not have an American who could be in that ad?” Prashad asked her co-host.
“The Olympics were in Calgary, your hometown, Tate McRae. Is there no national pride?” Jones asked.
Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae arrives at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.
ETIENNE LAURENT via Getty Images
Others called out McRae on social media, including one Bluesky user who described her as an “Albertan traitor” and another on X who slammed the singer for showing love to the American athletes.
“Tate, a Calgary girl, is out here shilling for Team USA. Disappointing, fuck you girl,” wrote the X user.
HuffPost has reached out to McRae’s representatives for comment.
Competition at the Winter Olympics kicked off on Wednesday. The opening ceremony is set to take place on Friday at San Siro Stadium in Milan.