Did Beyoncé Shade Donald Glover During Her “RENAISSANCE” Opening Show? Twitter Thinks So

The first night of Queen B’s world tour was eventful, to say the least.

BYHayley Hynes
Did Beyoncé Shade Donald Glover During Her “RENAISSANCE” Opening Show? Twitter Thinks So

Since turning his talents from making music back to television, Donald Glover has found plenty of success with shows like Atlanta and Swarm. The latter is the multi-talent's most recent project, and it arrived on Amazon Prime Video a few months back. Starring Dominique Fishback and Chlöe Bailey, the short series tells the story of a young woman whose obsession with her favourite pop star takes her to some deadly places. After the show premiered, many couldn't help but draw comparisons between the idolized vocalist on-screen, Nijah, and real-life superstar, Beyoncé.

The mother of three hasn't publicly commented on Swarm – until last night's debut RENAISSANCE World Tour performance, that is. At one point during her captivating set, Queen B adorned a bee costume. It in itself appears to be a nod to the fanbase in Glover's show, seemingly referencing her actual audience, known as the BeyHive. When she sang into the microphone, "Swarm on these hands, n*gga," however, Beyoncé made it pretty clear that she doesn't have a positive opinion of the six-episode series.

Read More: Childish Gambino Drops "Swarm" EP With KIRBY To Accompany New Amazon Prime Video Series

Beyoncé Appears to Respond to Donald Glover's Swarm

Regardless of what the B-Day songstress has to say about Swarm, critics on Rotten Tomatoes awarded it an impressive 86%. As for at-home audiences, they seem to fall closer to Beyoncé's side of the fence, ranking it at just 72%. While it's certainly been criticized (namely for Glover's admitted failure to prepare his lead actress for her role), it also captivated viewers thanks to salacious moments such as Damson Idris' sex scene with Bailey, as well as a noteworthy nude shot of Rory Culkin.

As for the 41-year-old's opening night, things seemed to go off without a hitch. Her seemingly shading Childish Gambino was arguably one of the evening's wildest moments, though she also borrowed some of Lil Uzi Vert's dance moves, and called out those who have been begging her to drop visuals to accompany her latest LP, which arrived last summer. While she prepares to take the stage in Europe once again, Twitter has been lighting up with reactions to the rumoured beef between Bey and her co-star from The Lion King.

Read More: Blue Ivy & Jay-Z Support Beyoncé's "RENAISSANCE" World Tour Debut In Sweden

Twitter Reacts

"To everyone that said, 'Beyoncé loved 'Swarm,'" one Twitter user wrote while retweeting a clip of Beyoncé at last night's concert. Elsewhere, another asked if the "Telephone" hitmaker might have been upset over her mentee, Chlöe's appearance in the hit series. Keep scrolling to read more social media reactions, and tap back in with HNHH later for more updates from the RENAISSANCE World Tour.

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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, and has been since 2021. She began writing for the website that same year, primarily covering content in the Music, Pop Culture, and Streetwear niches after graduating from Vancouver’s Blanche Macdonald Centre with a Fashion Marketing Diploma. She previously reported on Travel, Entertainment, Beauty, and News at Narcity Canada for over three years. Hayley has also contributed articles and interviews within these realms to Folklr Magazine and the Calgary Journal while studying Journalism at Mount Royal University. In her spare time, she freelances for Bandbox Vinyl, having already interviewed hip-hop icons like Atmosphere and explored Syd’s discography. Hayley also uses her expansive pop culture knowledge and passion for astrology/self-enhancement to help others explore their curiosity in an ongoing Instagram video series. Among her favourite hip-hop artists are A$AP Rocky, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, and Mac Miller.