Celebrities Turning Down Invites for UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on President Trump’s Birthday

The Freedom 250 UFC event taking place at the White House on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday will likely not be very star-studded.

In an interview with Time magazine published last month, UFC CEO Dana White said he extended invitations to the Sunday, June 14, event on the South Lawn to a host of A-listers, including Adam Sandler, Guy Ritchie, Tom Brady, Jared Leto, Jason Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Mario Lopez.

However, Vanity Fair reported last week that many of the celebrities turned down the invitation.

A source told the outlet that Johnson will not be there. Meanwhile, representatives for Sandler, Leto and Lopez confirmed to the publication that they will not be in attendance.

There was originally supposed to be a concert series on the National Mall bringing in star power with Bret Michaels, Flo Rida and other performers, but it was scrapped after almost all the acts pulled out, the outlet shared.

On Thursday, June 4, the president posted on Truth Social about the performances, writing that he would hold a rally instead.

“in celebration of our Country’s 250 Year History, we will be bringing you, LIVE, the Greatest Rally, EVER!” he wrote in part. “It will be special at every level — A Rally to end all Rallies! We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep, we’ve told them all to stay home.”

While there may not be many big names in Hollywood at the commander-in-chief’s milestone birthday, the Trump family will be there: As Globe previously reported, Melania Trump will be octagon-side, along with Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Eric and Lara, per the New York Post.

Additionally, sources told the Post that Donald Trump Jr. and his new wife, Bettina, will make an appearance along with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt — who’s been on maternity leave — and her husband, Nicholas Riccio.

According to UFC’s website, the event “commemorates the 250th birthday of the United States with a once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit,” and will be headlined by Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.