An online petition with the goal of convincing Coachella organizers to book Travis Scott for the festival’s 2023 event has been removed due to a surplus of fake signatures. Buzzfeed News reported the petition, which was published on Change.org, has been taken down as of Jan. 28. Initially, thousands of signatures were removed from the petition before the entire campaign was taken down.
The petition was launched just days before it was removed, and it was reported by outlets such as TMZ on Jan. 26 that 70,000 people had signed within a three-day span. By Jan. 27, however, the number of supporters dropped significantly from over 70,000 to barely 5,000, according to Buzzfeed.
“The petition was found to contain fraudulent signatures, which were removed,” Change.org confirmed to the news outlet. “After further investigation, our team discovered that the petition had produced several fraudulent attempts, which forced a complete removal of the petition.”
“We are deeply committed to the experience of our users, which means prioritizing accuracy and finding and eliminating fraud. We have a range of automated systems and teams dedicated to blocking and removing double or fake signatures and detect other fraudulent activity.”
In December, the “SICKO MODE” rapper was reportedly dropped from the 2022 Coachella lineup amid a slew Astroworld Festival backlash. During the Houston event last November, which was curated and headlined by Scott, a crowd surge led to 10 deaths and several injuries. Earlier this month, Golden Voice officially released a Travis Scott-free lineup for the April event.
Coachella 2022 has enlisted Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Ye as the top-billed acts for the annual spring festival. Additionally, Lil Baby, Doja Cat, Big Sean, Ari Lennox, Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, City Girls, Isaiah Rashad, and more are all set to perform.
As far as 2023 goes, co-founder Paul Tollett revealed R&B singer Frank Ocean as the only confirmed headliner. Ocean, Travis Scott, and Rage Against The Machine were set to headline Coachella in 2020, however the festival was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2022 dates did not align with the Channel Orange singer’s schedule.
“Right now, it’s the Wild West. I’m just trying to be as fair as I can to artists and to the fans to make sure that eventually, they get to see everyone that we talked about,” Tollet expressed.
View the full lineup for Coachella 2022 as of Monday (Jan. 31) below.