Highlights
- Boy George exits Jesus Christ Superstar days before his King Herod debut in London.
- Move follows backlash to his pro-Israel AI song “We Will Dance Again.”
- Manager Paul Kemsley cites George’s “personal convictions” in announcing the withdrawal.
Boy George is out.
The Culture Club frontman has withdrawn from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End revival of Jesus Christ Superstar just days before he was set to take the stage, following intense backlash over a pro-Israel song he released last week.
George, 65, was booked for a cameo as King Herod in the London Palladium production, a rotating one-song role that has also drawn stars like Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Richard Armitage. His run was supposed to kick off August 3.
But that plan collapsed after George dropped “We Will Dance Again,” an AI-assisted track that pushes back on accusations of genocide in Gaza and takes aim at fellow musicians who’ve voiced support for Palestinians.
The singer’s manager, Paul Kemsley, broke the news on Instagram Thursday (July 30, 2026).
“After careful consideration, I have decided, in my capacity as Boy George’s manager, that he will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium,” Kemsley wrote.
He stressed the exit was handled respectfully on all sides.
“The decision has been made with the utmost respect for the producers, the creative team and the entire company,” Kemsley added, thanking the show for its “professionalism and understanding.”
Kemsley stopped short of directly blaming the song for the fallout, but his statement seemed to nod at the controversy anyway.
He noted that George “has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions,” adding that he’s “always respected him for that.”
The track that started it all doesn’t hold back. Over a reggae-inflected beat, George sings that when Israel is “attacked, it’s what the army’s for,” and accuses pro-Palestinian musicians of “mouthing like sheep.”
He also references Israeli civilians killed at the Nova music festival, framing their deaths as punishment “for the crime of dancing.”
The song, released under its Hebrew title, translates to “We Will Dance Again.” It has since vanished from streaming platforms.
George addressed the uproar obliquely on X Friday, invoking Groucho Marx to quip he’d never want to belong to “any club that would have me as a member.”
A day earlier, he’d struck a more resigned tone online, writing simply that “it doesn’t matter what I think or what you think.”
George is set to be replaced in the Herod rotation, which continues through September 5 with Layton Williams and Julian Clary among the upcoming names. Producers have not publicly commented on the shake-up.
