Alexis Wilkins, the country singer who is dating FBI Director Kash Patel, says she will perform Wednesday on the National Mall as part of the Great American State Fair kickoff for America’s 250th birthday. In posts on X she called the invitation a “great honor” and stressed that she would not be paid for the appearance. The booking, however, quickly stirred online backlash over the optics of the FBI director’s partner taking a high-profile Washington stage.
What Wilkins Said on X
Wilkins wrote that she had been invited “on my own accord,” that the Fair is a fundraising event and not taxpayer-funded, and that she was “not accepting payment” for performing, according to reporting that quoted her posts. According to WOAI, she pushed back on critics who linked the booking to her relationship with Patel.
Backlash and a Pending Lawsuit
Critics on social media immediately raised ethics questions. One reporter asked on X whether “having the FBI director’s girlfriend getting paid by the taxpayers to perform violate[s] federal ethics law?” as a post on X put it. Sara Higdon’s X post drew retweets and replies that questioned both the appearance and any potential pay.
Wilkins has been in the headlines before. She filed a defamation suit in late May against MS NOW over reporting about her security detail, a legal dispute covered by Bloomberg Law.
What the Fair Is and Who’s Running It
The kickoff is part of the Great American State Fair, an America 250-era program run by the Freedom 250 organization on the National Mall. The event page lists the Main Stage near 13th Street and a 7 p.m. opening ceremony. According to Freedom 250 and reporting by the Associated Press, the lineup has been in flux after several announced performers withdrew and President Trump announced he would headline the opening ceremony. AP has the detailed chronology of those developments.
What to Watch
Wilkins insists the gig was not bought with taxpayer money and that she will not be paid, and that claim sits at the center of how the story unfolds as the kickoff approaches. For now, the dispute is largely about optics and public perception. Whether federal ethics officials or watchdogs decide to look into the matter remains an open question. Reporting and Wilkins’ own posts are the primary public record so far, and coverage is continuing as the Fair opens.
