*TikToker Jenny Matthews aired her grievances about casting directors overlooking talented children for a role in The Lion King: 30th Anniversary Concert at The Hollywood Bowl.
North West, the 10-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, performed as Young Simba during the production on May 24. Matthews said Kardashian paid for North’s role in the musical and slammed casting directors for choosing nepotism over talent.
According to Matthews, her daughter made it to the final round of callbacks but when Kim walked in with North, it was a wrap.
“While we were waiting in the audition room with one other girl and her mother, someone walked in,” Matthews stated. “It was Kim Kardashian with North West. We had heard that there was someone in the industry that was pulling strings to get their daughter in front of the casting director.”
She continued, “We found out it was North West on that final audition. And we were so disappointed.”
OKAY NORTH! 🎥| North West performs “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” at the Lion King 30th Anniversary Concert at the Hollywood Bowl 🦁
Her parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were in attendance along with her siblings to cheer her on. pic.twitter.com/RqNJ1GxHvu
— KenBarbie™ (@itsKenBarbie) May 25, 2024
“We had heard that they wanted to cast a talented kid with some good experience, but one that doesn’t have a name because they wanted to uplift a smaller voice in the community,” Matthews added.
“And we thought my daughter was that person. But, Kim Kardashian allegedly paid for her daughter to be in this production and her daughter does not have the experience for this role as you could see.”
Clips of North as Simba singing “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” went viral and many social media users had plenty to say over the child’s lackluster performance. Check out some of the reactions below.
North West is doing amazing, sweetie. pic.twitter.com/vifZRseSG9
— E! News (@enews) May 27, 2024
One X user wrote, “Imma say it… North West did a horrible job on the Lion King! You can tell she never went to practice, they just plopped her in last min.”
Another critic commented, “I feel bad for all these talented normal kids because these nepo kids will always get casted.”
A third person added, “Maybe singing and dancing aren’t meant for North West.”
Another social media user noted, “Totally agree.. so tired of nepotbabies being shoved in our faces. The other talent at the show were there because of hard work and unbelievable talent. The rest of the performances were amazing. Great night!
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