The Top 5 Worst National Anthem Performances — Plus One Dishonorable Mention

On July 15, 2024, country singer Ingrid Andress delivered what is widely believed to be one of the worst renditions of the national anthem at a professional sporting event since, well, maybe Roseanne Barr in 1990.

The Home Run Derby marked a cringeworthy moment for Ingrid, who later apologized. But she is far from the first celebrity to strike a sour note at a time when Americans should be moved to tears by the patriotic ballad.

Here are the top five worst national anthem performances of all time.

Singing acapella, Ingrid's rendition of the national anthem soon veered off course into an off-tune, embarrassing performance. Sadder yet is that the artist soon admitted via her social channels that she was intoxicated when she serenaded fans, and would be headed to rehab to "get the help" she needs.

Luckily, Ingrid has a lot of star support in her corner, with celebrity friends like Julia Michaels wishing her well in her journey to get sober. "Sending lots of love and positivity. You got this," Martina McBride commented on Instagram, while Kristin Chenoweth said, "It will be OK! You are doing what you need to do. A proud moment."

We had such high hopes when Christina Aguilera, a singer with a voice that has the power to induce goosebumps, took center field to belt out the national anthem at Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

Maybe that's why fans were so crushed when the vocalist botched the lyrics and screamed out the last note of the song as if she were paying homage to Steven Tyler in the 1980s. Oh well. Not all performances can be as flawless as Whitney Houston's.

In 2018, Fergie delivered an odd, seemingly jazz-inspired version of one of America's most treasured tunes at the NBA All-Star Game. It was tough to watch, and fans were confused.

“I'm a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn't strike the intended tone," Fergie defended the performance. "I love this country and honestly tried my best.”

We were of the opinion that Michael Bolton could do no wrong, but his rendition of the anthem is proof that, well, that's not true. The year was 2003 and the singer not only had to cheat by looking at lyrics written on his palm on live TV, but the acoustics in the stadium were off, leading to a distracting echo that majorly took away from the mesmerizing quality of Michael's voice.

Obviously no list of the worst national anthem performances would be complete without reliving Roseanne's goof version of the song at a 1990 Padres game.

It was so bad, that the comedian herself plugged her ears during the song. The offputting moment will go down in history as unpatriotic and disrespectful, with even then-President George H.W. Bush remarking, “My reaction is, it’s disgraceful. A lot of people in San Diego said the same thing."

It's worth noting that a few performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that have been delivered at other high-profile venues have not been well-received by fans. One standout was Lady Gaga's awkward and bizarrely performative version of the song at President Joe Biden's 2021 Inauguration.