Boy George exits London 'Jesus Christ Superstar' production amid AI-generated pro-Israel song controversy

Boy George will not appear in the upcoming London run of Jesus Christ Superstar, where he had been slated to play King Herod from August. The decision was announced on Instagram by his manager, Paul Kemsley, who said it was made "with the utmost respect for the producers, the creative team and the entire company." Kemsley added that George "has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions" and that stepping aside was intended to keep the focus on the production and maintain mutual respect among all involved.

The announcement follows the singer’s release of an AI-generated track titled “We Will Dance Again,” which expresses a pro-Israel stance and criticises artists supporting Palestine. George confirmed the song’s AI involvement on social media, describing it as “AI for good” and noting that he would have struggled to write it without the technology. The track, set to a reggae beat, includes lyrics that label the Gaza conflict as a war rather than genocide and accuse some musicians of spreading propaganda.

The song has drawn criticism from several entertainers, including Broadway actor Patrick Clanton, who said he was embarrassed to share a stage with George. In response, George posted on Threads that the criticism had given him media attention and later wrote on X that “It doesn’t matter what I think or what you think.”

"The decision has been made with the utmost respect for the producers, the creative team and the entire company," Kemsley wrote. "Equally, I believe it is my responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of my artist while also showing respect to others," he added. "I call it ‘AI for good’. Truthfully, I would struggle to write this with a human!" George wrote about the song.

The production has not commented further, and it remains unclear how much of the controversial track was generated by AI versus human input.