- The Beyhive helps fan meet Beyoncé during The Renaissance Tour
- Fan misses Beyoncé’s concert due to airline’s failure to accommodate wheelchair
- Beyoncé’s camp invites fan after viral TikTok video
A Beyoncé fan’s dream comes true with the help of the Beyhive.
Jon Hetherington, aged 34, had waited for years to see Beyoncé in concert. However, his hopes were shattered when an airline failed to accommodate his wheelchair before her Seattle show on September 14. Hetherington expressed his frustration in a TikTok video.
“So after 25 years of waiting, I’m not seeing Beyoncé tonight, so ableism strikes again,” he said in the video. Thankfully, the Beyhive took notice.
After fans amplified Hetherington’s TikTok video, he revealed on Instagram that he met Beyoncé and her mother, Tina Knowles, during The Renaissance Tour’s stop in Arlington, Texas. The New York Times reported that a representative for Beyoncé personally reached out to Hetherington and invited him to the show.
“To the Queen herself, @beyonce, I will treasure those words you said and the hugs you gave. I meant every word I said,” he wrote in the caption on Friday. “No, for anyone and everyone reading this, I will not ever share with you what was said to me, don’t even try it. That moment is between the two of us.”
Hetherington and representatives for Beyoncé did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside regular working hours.
He later shared a photo of him and Beyoncé on his Instagram account, writing, “Long live the Queen! Forever shall she reign.”
In a separate post, he thanked the Beyhive for making his story go viral.
“Beyhive, you made this happen, you pushed and tagged like the internet has never seen. Tonight, for the first time ever, I had a seat on the floor for a concert. Welcome to the RENAISSANCE,” he wrote.
Hetherington spoke with Insider’s Hannah Getahun about his experience missing Beyoncé’s concert in Seattle. He stated that this incident is not an isolated problem and reflects a systemic issue.
“As someone who has been disabled my entire life, I’m saying it’s not just about this one airline,” he told Insider. “This is a systemic issue.”
He hopes that his video will inspire discussions about dismantling ableism.
“While people’s eyes are on me, I hope that, at least for the time being, there will be some recognition and awareness of these issues. But, you know, who knows?” he said. “That’s not often how our society works, especially when it comes to disability.”
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
