Seattle Seahawks slammed as metal singer performs National Anthem on MNF
Seattle Seahawks slammed as metal singer performs National Anthem on MNF
Charlie Wilson Tue, November 3, 2026 at 12:33 PM UTC
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Metal vocalist Joey Belladonna delivered the Star-Spangled Banner at Lumen Field (Image: undefined)
Metal vocalist Joey Belladonna delivered the Star-Spangled Banner at Lumen Field ahead of the Seattle Seahawks' matchup against the Chicago Bears on ESPN's Monday Night Football - sparking a divisive reaction from viewers.
The 66 year old delivered an acoustic rendition of the national anthem, generating polarized responses - with one NFL supporter even calling it a "national atrocity."
Belladonna took the stage at Lumen Field before a clash between two franchises viewed as Super Bowl contenders and possible NFC Championship Game participants: the Seahawks and the Bears. Yet most spectators kicked off the evening discussing Belladonna's performance.
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The moment arrived as MNF audiences believed they spotted obvious signs of friction between Troy Aikman and Joe Buck.
One viewer stated, "Seattle brought out one of the worst National Anthem singer I have ever heard. This dude is trash.", reports the Mirror US.
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Another shared, "Whoever this is singing national anthem sounds horrible lol". A third declared, "Was the worst national anthem in the history of mankind," while a fourth questioned, "And whose dad is that up there singing the national anthem as flat as he possibly can."
Nevertheless, certain supporters applauded the rendition; one remarked, "Joey Balladonna - an American heavy metal singer best known as the lead vocalist for Seattle award-winning thrash metal band Anthrax killed it on the National Anthem at the Monday Night Football game tonight!". Another declared: "Joey Belladonna just nailed the national anthem on Monday Night Football."
The NFL and its franchises have faced repeated backlash over their national anthem performers this season, with Amazon Prime opting to skip the broadcasts entirely in recent weeks. During the Bears' matchup against the New England Patriots last week, Amazon cut to a commercial break throughout the anthem - in a game that also featured a moment of silence honoring team legend Mike Ditka, who recently passed away.
Caleb Williams led the Chicago Bears to a big win on Monday Night Football (Image: undefined)
In ESPN's Monday night showdown between the Seahawks and Bears, Aikman was back in the broadcast booth alongside Joe Buck, despite growing tensions between the pair. The two commentators reportedly nearly came to blows in the booth back in October, after Aikman criticized Buck following the latter's extension to stay with ESPN.
Aikman was said to have been unhappy after Buck did not inform him he was signing a deal, and no talks were held with Aikman amid reports of his exit. Greg Olsen and Jason Kelce have been floated as potential replacements for Aikman.
This development follows Mike Tomlin's scathing rebuke of Dallas Cowboys players in the wake of their defeat to the Arizona Cardinals.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
