Patti LaBelle’s nephew says his Trump support cost him his relationship with the singer
TheGrio...
William “Byl” Holte, Patti LaBelle’s nephew and adopted son, says his support for Donald Trump led to years of estrangement from the singer.
This week, social media users got an unexpected glimpse into the alleged happenings of Patti Labelle’s personal life via her nephew William “Byl” Holte.
“Here’s what supporting TRUMP cost me: My aunt is Patti LaBelle, famous singer AND DEMOCRAT. Christmas 2019, she had just informed me that I had to move out of the home I had happily shared with her for 12 years,” Holte wrote. “So when I heard her and my family talking about what a threat Trump was, I asked her ‘why should I be afraid of Trump when you’re the one who just made me homeless?’
“Her family instantly attacked me and threw me out of her house. And just last year, she had a problem with me talking about my life with her on this platform. My punishment for using my 1st Amendment right this way was LIFETIME BANISHMENT.”
Holte goes on to explain that to this day, the “New Attitude” singer has not spoken to him since then, nor has anyone in her “circle.”
“Because SHE’S not speaking to me: NO ONE IN HER CIRCLE IS SPEAKING TO ME. And this will apparently last the rest of my life. WHY? Because NO ONE VIOLATES AND DISRESPECTS DEMOCRACY AND FREE SPEECH MORE THAN DEMOCRATS,” he added.
“I learned that lesson on Black Christmas 2019, and I’ve been learning it ever since. And even though I’ve gotten out of politics, they still hate me. But all that tells me is that I’m doing something RIGHT. Because I’d rather vote Republican because I WANT to, than Democrat because I HAVE to. God Bless America.”
Now Holte is not the first Black man to open up about the repercussions he’s experienced since voting for Trump. Recently, Miami Haitian restaurant owner, Wilkinson “Ken” Sejou, expressed regret for voting for Trump, as the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) had major consequences for his business operations.
“MAGA’s appeal to Black Americans stems less from affection, partisan identity or loyalty to Trump. Instead, their support primarily rests on two pillars — successful implementation of policies they can point to with pride, and a sense of belonging to a movement that outweighs racial differences within it,” Theodore R. Johnson wrote in the Washington Post “And, importantly, it requires political competence to guard against the scrutiny that Black MAGA receives from Black Americans for supporting Trump and from the MAGA faithful wary of newcomers.”
Since winning the 2024 elections, multiple reports have found that more and more Trump supporters are experiencing “buyer’s remorse” or some form of regret. A recent study found that one in five Americans who voted for President Trump in 2024 now say they regret it. This comes as Reuters reports a record low approval rating for Trump. A survey of 1,166 respondents reportedly showed that only 33% approved of the president’s job in the White House, the lowest approval rating of Trump’s second term.
While some groups are regretting their vote, Holte doubled down on his support of the current president, tweeting:
Patti LaBelle has not responded to her estranged nephew’s recent claims. However, in 2020, after she went viral for her ties to Holte and his conservative views, she addressed the political differences in her family in a conversation with Oprah Magazine.
“Guess what? I didn’t choose my family. I choose my friends. I love Billy. He has a Republican mind. And, guess what? I don’t. But do I hate him for having the mind that he has? No, I can’t,” LaBelle told the publication, recalling a previous conversation with Holte. “He was saying, ‘I love you, and I’m so sorry.’ You give people chances, when sometimes, they don’t even know what they’re doing or why. So I can’t beat him up for the rest of his life. I decided to take the high road with him by letting him know that you make mistakes—but when my name comes in that mistake, that’s a no-no. Certain things happen in life, and I just keep going on, because I love him.”