The 13 most hilarious reactions to Beyonce's lip-sync scandal

A U.K. newspaper reports that the superstar's rendition of the national anthem was lip-synced, and the twittersphere goes through the five stages of grief

Beyonce's lip-sync's "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the inauguration.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A mere day after President Obama's picture-perfect inauguration, scandal has already rocked the White House: The Times of London reports that R&B queen Beyoncé did not sing "The Star Spangled Banner" live at the inauguration, but chose instead to "rely on the studio version" of the track. Sophie Gilbert at The Washingtonian reports:

To close observers, it appeared the performer was not singing live. To press seated just below the podium, in front of the "President's Own" Marine Corps Band, it was evident that the band wasn't actually playing during the song — even though band director Colonel Michael J. Colburn was conducting energetically and the band members mimicked blowing into their instruments. [The Washingtonian]

A spokeswoman for the Marine Corp Band told The Times that Beyoncé decided shortly before her performance to lip sync to her pre-recorded backing track. Naturally, the twittersphere was up in arms, letting the "Betrayoncé" puns fly. Here, a look at some of the funniest expressions of outrage:

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Samantha Rollins

Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.