Watch Adele Explain Why She Looked So Annoyed in Viral NBA Game Meme: ‘I Was Sulking’
It’s been exactly two years since Adele‘s viral NBA meme was born, and at her residency show in Las Vegas over the weekend, the 35-year-old vocalist finally shared the story behind it.
In a video taken Saturday night (Feb. 17) at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Adele asks her audience, “Do you remember that viral meme of me looking like I don’t give a flying f–k?”
She then recreated the famous video onstage, looking left and right as if to avoid eye contact with her audience — just like she did when faced with a camera Feb. 20, 2022 at that year’s NBA All-Star game, which she attended with her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I really don’t like being famous,” the “Easy On Me” singer explained, telling the crowd she felt the need to provide “context” for the video. “Obviously I’m sitting courtside at a basketball game, you’re asking for it, whatever. Rich is working the room, talking to players. And I was fine. I was just there on my own looking for Michael Jordan, if I’m honest.”
According to Adele, the camera crew at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse had approached her twice while she was sitting by herself to ask whether she was comfortable being filmed, which she politely declined both times. Even so, her image was blasted on the jumbotron at the game — and on national television.
“I was sulking,” she said, adding that she felt extra shy at the time due to the cancellation of her original Vegas residency. “I was like, ‘These motherf–kers have come back and are filming me against my will.”
“Also, my face is just very memeable,” she added. “I can’t help it.”
The Grammy winner has been performing for fans in Vegas on and off since the end of 2022 for her Weekends With Adele” residency, with dates scheduled through June this year. To her point, her shows often spawn funny viral moments — one of the most recent being when the “Rolling in the Deep” musician hilariously slammed critics of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance.
“I think I want the Chiefs to win,” she said at the time, the night before the Kansas City team triumphed at the 2024 Super Bowl. “And all of you that are complaining about Taylor being at the game, get a f—ing life. It’s her f—ing boyfriend!”
Watch Adele reflect on her viral NBA meme below.
Hannah Dailey
Billboard
