“There’s no amount of public ridicule that is fun, even if it helps your ratings,” said Daigle. “No, it’s not fun. It isn’t, but I learned…so much through that experience.”
Daigle said she learned “that when people need an element of hope, coming together is one of the most beautiful things. It is one of the most incredible rights that we have in this country.”
“It is,” she continued, “and I think to take that away from people is so disheartening, especially in a time like that.”
Daigle was not invited to appear on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” although several people publicly came to her defense, including Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (now the state’s governor) and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser.
Daigle also credited Arroyo for coming to her defense. “I had no idea that there were going to be people that stood up for me,” she said. “So then to see that happen, and I just want to thank those people. I want to thank you.”
The artist said that many times she wants to defend herself, but her lawyer and her team advised her not to speak out. Daigle believes she saw God fight for her as a result. She quoted Exodus 14:14, which says, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Daigle did issue a statement at the time saying that she had never been confirmed to perform at “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and that she was “saddened by the divisive agendas of these times.”
“Watching the amount of people that came around and offered truth during that time was really—it was so beautiful,” said Daigle. “So to get this moment years later, I would say, for anybody watching that has had their reputation smeared in any sort of way, and they are just waiting for the moment of vindication, sometimes it only takes five years.”
“That’s not too long in the scheme of things,” she added.
