Today Allegedly Axes 'Free Britney Griner' Protest During Macy Gray Performance

Macy Gray planned to include a tribute to Britney Griner during her band's Thursday performance on Today, but the singer's keyboardist claims he was told to turn his "Free Britney Griner" T-shirt inside-out before performing on the NBC morning show.

According to TMZ, keyboardist Billy Wes arrived at NBC Studios wearing a T-shirt advocating for the release of Griner. Hours later, during the band's live performance, his shirt was seen inside-out, with no message present.

"They made me turn it inside out," Wes told TMZ. "They said I couldn’t wear it."

Outside the studio, Gray told the outlet, "We wanted to wear them on the show and they said no, because I guess something happened."

"I don't think it's political. I think it's a human being that's in a really horrible situation," Gray added of Griner's detainment. "And there's people that have power to do something about it, and that's what they should do."

Primetimer has reached out to NBC for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

WNBA player Griner has been held in a Russian prison since February for allegedly possessing cannabis oil. She pleaded guilty to the charge this week and could face up to 10 years in prison. The basketball star previously wrote a letter to President Biden asking him to intervene and help her get home.

Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.