Tate McRae stars in American Olympic ad and Canada wants answers
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have begun in Italy, but it appears Tate McRae has lined up with the wrong team. McRae is catching some heat for an Olympic ad she’s starring in, previewing Team USA for NBC.
That has people in Canada raising their eyebrows, given the 22-year-old pop star is from Calgary, not California.
Wearing a red snow suit, the Canadian singer skis into the scene before telling an owl she’s “a bit lost.”
“I’m trying to get to Milan for an amazing opening ceremony and meet Team USA,” she says.
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Canadians are sounding off in the comments on McRae’s Instagram post, expressing confusion and, in some cases, anger.
“Yeah, you really are lost,” said one Instagram commenter.
“Gir,l you’re Canadian,” said another.
“No amount of money could make me endorse the country that threatens mine,” another person said more bluntly.
This is a paid ad for NBC and not an act of treason, but given tensions between Canada and the United States, it seems to be a bit tone deaf.
McRae is one of many A-list celebrities promoting NBC’s Olympic coverage, along with the likes of Ariana Grande, Scarlett Johansson, and Matt Damon. She isn’t the only non-American participating, either. Cynthia Erivo and Dua Lipa are presumably supporting Great Britain, but they’re also promoting the American network’s Olympic coverage.
The Opening Ceremony for the Milano Cortina Olympics is set for Friday, though mixed doubles curling actually began two days earlier on Wednesday.
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