UPDATE: 2/5/26 at 2:40am ET —Canadian singer Tate McRae appeared to be hitting back against the backlash after appearing in an ad promoting Team USA’s 2026 Winter Olympics squad.
The pop star shared a childhood photo with a Canadian flag Instagram stories on Wednesday, February 4. “… You know I’m Canada,” the “Run for the Hills” singer captioned the image.
Original story:
singing Tate McRae is as excited about the 2026 Winter Olympics as the rest of us, but not everyone is a fan of how he expresses it.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here, and Team USA arrives in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. As the world’s best athletes descend on Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin’s unmissable moment in men’s figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited redemption tour on (…)
McRae, who was born in Canada, starred an ad for NBC Sports the Team USA promo was released on Tuesday, February 3rd.
“I’m trying to get to Milan for an amazing opening ceremony and meet Team USA,” the 22-year-old pop star tells a snowy owl in the ad.
McRae continues, “It’s the weekend with America’s best skating for gold and Lindsey Vonnthe epic return of.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics begin with the opening ceremony on Friday, February 6, the same day as the team figure skating competition. Vonn, meanwhile, plans to hit the slopes on Sunday, February 8, despite suffering a torn ACL after an accident in Switzerland last week.
McRae’s decision to support Team USA did not sit well with some fans, who called her out of her Canadian roots.
“Promoting Team USA is really crazy…girl you’re from Calgary, you grew up going to saddle dome and stampede, stop pretending you’re from the country that threatened to annex us this time last year 😭😭,” one person wrote via X.
McRae was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and spent most of his education in the province. He has long been a supporter of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, who play at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
“Tate McRae who’s from Calgary Alberta is doing Olympic promos for Team USA… more like ‘Trait McRator’ AMIRITE!” one person commented via X.
another he wrote“Tate McCrae doing an Olympic ad for the US is lame, but also why would an American network even pick a Canadian to endorse them?”
“Tate McRae doing a promo for NBC and Team USA for the Olympics and not Canada makes me a little sad but it’s okay,” one dejected fan. he said.
However, McRae appearing in the ad may not be entirely random, as the “Sports Car” singer has recently been linked to the New Jersey Devils star. Jack Hugheswho will represent Team USA in Italy.
McRae and Hughes, 24, were spotted together in New York City in December 2025 after she attended one of his home games.
Hughes talked about dealing with an increased level of fame during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly last month
“The number one thing I focus on is my game,” Hughes said. “That’s the part I’m having the most fun with. Obviously, there’s a lot going on. But the most fun is going out to a sold-out court, playing and playing well. That’s the most important thing to me.”
He added: “Everything else is good, it comes out on the side if you’re playing well. You’ve got to put the cart before the horse. I’m lucky to be in the position I’m in. The most fun I have is on the ice.”
Hughes and the Team USA men’s hockey team will begin their quest for gold in Italy against Latvia on February 12.