Author: Polygon

Alberta’s Tate McRae found herself in hot water this week after the 22-year-old musician appeared in an NBC ad highlighting the 2026 U.S. Winter Olympics team. And after a sustained social media response criticizing her apparent endorsement of the United States over her home country, McRae took to Instagram to respond.

“Y’all know I’m Canada down,” she wrote in a story on Wednesday, sharing a photo of her as a small child holding a Canadian flag. 

In the NBC ad, McRae appears on a mountain in a red ski outfit, speaking to an owl perched on a sign post for the Olympic co-host city of Cortina. 

“I’m trying to get to Milan for an amazing opening ceremony and meet Team USA,” McRae says in the ad. “Then it’s the weekend, with America’s best skating for gold, and [American alpine ski racer] Lindsey Vonn’s epic comeback. Then back to the States for the big game: Super Bowl LX.”

Some voiced their criticism of the spot both in the comment section of the ad posted to McRae’s Instagram, and via their own platforms. 

“That is some traitor s–t I just saw, big bro,” said Canadian actor Jack Innanen in an Instagram story. “That is a crazy time to go and support the United States in place of Canada on an international stage — a country that directly threatens your own.”

In an interview with CBC News, Canadian pop culture commentator Liz Duff said it’s that last aspect that is largely fuelling the response to McRae’s appearance in the ad.

Given U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada, the ongoing trade war and an increased focus on what distinguishes Canadian culture from American culture, Duff said, the relationship between the two countries is especially frayed.  

At the same time, McRae, who is from Calgary, largely based her early career image as being adjacent to Canada, Duff said. Her album Think Later was expressly branded with hockey-related themes, while her single Exes was centred on the aesthetics of the Calgary Stampede.

And while the singer now lives in Los Angeles, she is regularly spotted at Calgary Flames hockey games. All that — accidentally or by design — built a certain expectation around McRae, Duff said.

“She is so what a Canadian pop star looks like, sounds like and is in the modern age,” Duff said. “So seeing her do a direct endorsement for Team USA going into the Olympics — when we’re feeling Canadian pride at its peak — just was such a shock to the system for fans across Canada, and frankly around the world.”

Gen Z context

What’s particularly interesting, Duff said, is the ages of those involved.

McRae is far from the first Canadian to have their loyalty questioned in the current fractious relationship between Canada and the United States. Last year, Ontario singer-songwriter Josh Ross was forced to apologize for calling the U.S. the best country in the world, while carrying an American flag onstage at an Indiana music festival.

And hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky has faced an extended campaign of criticism for his seemingly cozy relationship with Trump and his administration. 

But, Duff said, McRae and Innanen’s similar ages highlight a new aspect of the situation.  

“[Innanen is] in the same age range as Tate McRae and has a similar demographic of fans that are following his career,” she said of the social media influencer and actor, who appears in FX’s series Adults.

“Seeing him kind of take a shot and call out Tate McRae for endorsing Team USA to me was, like, a huge moment for Canadian pop culture — and seeing where Gen Z’s pop-culture allegiance is falling.”

Tate McRae’s label did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBC News.