Lionel Richie Jokes About Diana Ross Ditching Him For Beyonce's Birthday Show

According to the legendary singer, Ross has declined his requests to join him on stage for 37 years.

BYGabriel Bras Nevares
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Music legends understandably have pretty busy schedules... sometimes, their calendar's filled up for 37 whole years. At least, that's how Lionel Richie feels about his efforts to get Diana Ross to perform their iconic collaboration "Endless Love" onstage with him. Moreover, the legendary vocalist recently held a glamorous show during which he joked about another legend declining a live duet for almost four decades. In fact, Richie specifically pointed to Ross' most recent appearance, where she sang happy birthday to a certain RENAISSANCE woman in pop culture. It seems like it was all in good fun, but it's still wild to think of the man behind "All Night Long" getting stood up.

"For 37 years, Diana has said 'No,'" Lionel Richie expressed onstage. "What made you think tonight she was gon' show up? She ain't comin'! She's over there singing happy birthday to Beyoncé. P*ssing me off." Of course, it's not like the 74-year-old has done nothing but twiddle his thumbs waiting for Ross for the past forty years. His career and legacy is as revered and celebrated as ever, and we're sure that it's still in the cards for them to grace the stage together one day.

Read More: Diana Ross Net Worth 2023: What Is The Motown Legend Worth?

Lionel Richie Calls Out Diana Ross For Joining Beyonce Onstage, But Not Him

What's more is that Diana Ross was not the only once-in-a-lifetime artist to join Queen Bey for her birthday tour stop in Los Angeles. None other than Kendrick Lamar hit the stage to perform his remix of "AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM," which made the tens of thousands of fans in attendance go ballistic. Still, there's nothing quite as grand, regal, or generationally significant as having the iconic soul singer lead that cavalcade of fans to wish the Houston native well on her special day. As such, we can only imagine that Lionel Richie was just as jealous as the rest of us who didn't get to go to the show.

Meanwhile, as mentioned before, maybe this public call-out of sorts will inspire Ross to join Richie once and for all. They're two masters of their craft with some of the most timeless material of the past sixty years. Watch their birthdays, folks, as there's a chance that this won't be the last we hear of them. For more news and the latest updates on Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, and Beyonce, stick around on HNHH.

Read More: Chlöe Is “Feelin' Like Diana Ross” In Sultry Bodysuit Strutting Video

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About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.