Addison Rae filed a copyright claim against the Department of Homeland Security after the agency used her song “Diet Pepsi” in a promotional video, and the post quickly turned into a public mess for the Trump-era agency. The Homeland Security tweet later showed a copyright takedown notice that said, “This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner.”
The agency had posted the video on April 10, 2026, with the caption “ICE is HOT.” The claim followed soon after, and the media attached to the post was disabled, making Rae’s move visible to millions of social media users almost as soon as it happened.
That timing mattered because the video was not just a stray use of a pop song. The clip paired Rae’s track with a government message tied to immigration enforcement, and the takedown notice turned what could have been a routine dispute over music rights into a flashpoint online. Social media reaction was swift after the copyright claim, with some users calling Rae’s decision “mother behavior.”
Read Also: Taylor Hendricks set to return Wednesday after thumb sprain absence
Some comments tied the episode to earlier reports that Rae was MAGA-supporting, while others framed it as a contrast with artists who have allowed their songs to appear in political or government posts. One tweet said, “It’s crazy how Addison Rae has been more politically outspoken the past month than Taylor has her whole life.” Another wrote, “And before I see any ‘see Taylor that wasn’t so hard’ bs, I didn’t even know that video was up, and I only found out BECAUSE she filed for copyright and the news was therefore shared.”
Read Also: Taylor Dearden on 'The Pitt' cast shakeup as Ayesha Harris moves up
For now, the clearest result is that Rae forced the post off the platform and made the use of her song the story instead of the message the department wanted to push. The bigger question is whether other artists will follow her lead when their music is used in government messaging, or whether this remains a one-off moment that happened because Addison Rae chose to act quickly and publicly.
