Opinion: Disney Goes Full Right-Wing MAGA With 2025 Christmas Special

On December 10, Disney shared a sneak peek at the 42nd annual Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, airing on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu on December 25, 2025. The star-studded line-up features a pre-taped version of Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade at the Magic Kingdom and performances of holiday songs filmed at several Disney parks, including Disneyland Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and more. Unfortunately for some Disney Parks fans, two of the musical artists involved in the 2025 special have controversial ties to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) and religious conservative movement.

The 2025 Disney Parks Magical Christmastime Parade has been an annual Christmas Day tradition for families around the globe since its beginnings in 1983. It began as a simple broadcast of a holiday parade, but gradually evolved into the dazzling spectacle that fans know today. Each year, iconic musicians from a wide variety of genres lend their talents to the television special, singing seasonal songs in front of Disney Park icons.

2025 Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade

For the second year in a row, Dancing with the Stars and America’s Funniest Home Videos icon Alfonso Ribeiro will host the special, joined by Zootopia 2 (2025) star Ginnifer Goodwin and Lilo & Stitch (2025) star Maia Kealoha. Disney Parks Blog also announced the following performances for the 2025 Magical Christmas Day Parade:

• Gwen Stefani – “White Christmas” from Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort
• Coco Jones – “This Christmas” from Millennium Falcon at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Iam Tongi – “The Christmas Song” from Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina Hawai’i
• Lady A – “Winter Wonderland” from World Celebration Gardens at EPCOT
• Nicole Scherzinger – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” from Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort
• Mariah the Scientist – “Please Come Home for Christmas” from Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
• Bebe Rexha – “Last Christmas” from Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park

For some more progressive Disney Parks fans, two names on this list stood out: Gwen Stefani and Nicole Scherzinger. Over the last few years, both women have found themselves embroiled in controversy regarding their political and religious views.

Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani rose to fame as the lead singer of the band No Doubt, with timeless hits like “Just A Girl” and “Don’t Speak.” She’s a familiar face on television, serving as a long-standing coach on The Voice, and is married to country musician Blake Shelton. Although Stefani’s politics and religious beliefs have come into question over the years, her views were put under a microscope after she married Shelton in 2021, who had supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Stefani is somewhat remembered as a 2000s feminist pop icon, and vocally supported President Barack Obama during his campaigns. However, in recent years, she’s publicly praised conservative media host Tucker Carlson and followed other right-wing media personalities, including Candace Owens, on social media. She’s also expressed support for “traditional families,” and partnered with a religious anti-abortion app called Hallow.

Despite the controversies, Stefani doesn’t publicly identify with a particular political party. However, she was raised Catholic and reportedly remains a devout Christian.

Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger is arguably most famous as the leading woman of the Pussycat Dolls, but won a Tony Award in 2025 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance as Norma Desmond in the widely successful Broadway revival of “Sunset Boulevard.” However, amid her run in the show, Scherzinger sparked backlash for a comment on an Instagram post from actor and comedian Russell Brand.

In 2024, Brand posted a selfie on Instagram, showing off a red hat inspired by President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” caps. Instead, it read “Make Jesus First Again.” Scherzinger commented, “Where do I get this hat!!!? 🙏🏽❤️”

Nicole Scherzinger appears to endorse Trump in Russell Brand’s Instagram comments.

Nicole Scherzinger appears to endorse Trump in Russell Brand's Instagram comments.
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The interaction disappointed many fans, especially those in the famously inclusive Broadway community. It inspired many to boycott “Sunset Boulevard,” even after Scherzinger issued the following apology:

“I deeply apologize for the hurt caused by my recent engagement with some social media posts. When I commented on these posts, I made the mistake of not realizing that they could be easily interpreted as being politically related and I apologize to anyone who understandably reached that conclusion.

Many presumptions are being drawn, which do not reflect who I am, what I stand for, or who I voted for. Many of the marginalized communities feeling hurt and concerned by the results of the presidential election are people I care about most. I stand with them, as I always have, throughout my life and career. If you know me, you know that. Like so many others, in times of adversity and uncertainty, I turn to my faith. I believed that the posts I engaged with were about encouraging people to choose love and faith — ‘putting Jesus first.’ For me Christ embodies peace, compassion, hope, and above all — unconditional love, especially for those who may feel it the least right now.

I come from a place of love, and I will always support values that bring us closer together. It’s so important we come together with compassion, and love one another more now than ever.”

Should Disney replace Gwen Stefani and Nicole Scherzinger in the 2025 Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments!