Xavier Trudeau's halftime show panned on social media: 'He embarrassed himself'
'Nice to see that cringe runs in the family'
Author of the article:Mark Daniell
Published May 14, 2026 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 4 minute read
Xavier (Xav) Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, performs during halftime at a Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game on May 12, 2026.
Xavier (Xav) Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, performs during halftime at a Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game on May 12, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable /Postmedia
Xavier Trudeau might have big musical aspirations, but he’s got a long hill to climb if he wants to fill arenas like his dad’s pop-star girlfriend, Katy Perry.
This week, the 18-year-old R&B musician — and son of former prime minister Justin Trudeau — was the halftime entertainment at an Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game at The Arena at TD Place in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.
Attendees at the Blackjacks game got a taste of what to expect as the artist who goes by the name Xav paraded and bopped around the court in an all-white outfit.
Mostly unintelligible thanks to his heavy use of autotune, Xavier ran through several tracks, including Til The Nights Done, his first single.
His grandmother, Margaret Trudeau, made a rare public appearance, taking in his performance from a courtside seat alongside his mother, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.
‘That was straight-up painful to watch‘
But on social media his showcase landed with a thud as clips circulated on X and TikTok.
“He’s as good at singing as his father is in politics,” one critic swiped, while another added, “Nice to see that cringe runs in the family.”
“That was straight-up painful to watch. He’s lumbering around the court like a confused Sasquatch with zero rhythm, no stage presence, and a flow that didn’t exist. Heavy autotune couldn’t save it. This wasn’t just bad, it was embarrassing,” a third person added. “Stick to basketball or go back to school, would be my advice, because rapping clearly isn’t his thing and never will be.”
“I give Xavier credit for having the nerve to try to perform, but, really, he embarrassed himself. This is just horrible!” a fourth person assessed.
Xavier (Xav) Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, performs during halftime at a Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game on May 12, 2026.
Xavier (Xav) Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, performs during halftime at a Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game on May 12, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable /Postmedia
One viewer suggested that Canadians need to push for Xavier’s career to be a success.
“We need to cheer this to keep him outta politics or Toronto and Quebec will elect him PM,” they wrote. “Couldn’t understand the lyrics or anything but if Katy Perry boosts his career this is the ideal outcome. Start calling him Xavier Bieber.”
“You better enjoy his music … or God forbid he fails and goes to politics and in 20 years we will have another disaster,” another person chimed in.
But not everyone was unimpressed. Sharing a montage from his show, the Canadian Elite Basketball League said: “The vibes were immaculate.”
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau attend an Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game on May 12, 2026.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau attend an Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game on May 12, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable /Postmedia
‘The hate gets to me sometimes’
Despite insisting that he mostly tunes out his critics, Xavier admitted during an appearance on the Can’t Be Censored podcast last month, that he’s not always immune to arrows being shot his way. Some of the barbs being aimed at him do sting on occasion.
“The hate gets to me sometimes,” Xavier told hosts Travis Dhanraj and Karman Wong. “But it’s built into my brain … when someone comments on my (music) video or shares my video … it just helps me. Instagram realizes people are interacting with this stuff.”
Even though his father is considered one of Canada’s most unpopular leaders, with the former prime minister being held accountable for the country’s stagnant economy, stalled job growth, poor housing affordability, unchecked mass immigration and more, Xavier told Dhanraj and Wong that he is resistant to the haters and that his Instagram reels still rack up “hundreds of thousands of views.”
“Little carbon tax,” he replied when asked if he had a favourite putdown. “That one is good. That one is funny. But they use it so much … Don’t saturate it too much.”
He’s also been able to lean on his dad’s girlfriend to get her thoughts on his career.
“We’ve talked for hours, just talking about my music,” he said.
“When I’m really happy with a song (I) send it (to her). She’s always happy to give me advice or tell me what I should change. She’s super nice. She’s super down to earth. She’s great. I think that my dad’s happy, so that’s important.”
Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry attended the Coachella music festival together in Indio, California.
Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry attended the Coachella music festival together in Indio, Calif., last month. Photo by Katy Perry/ Instagram
Xavier soft-launched his musical career last year with Til The Nights Done. “Get ready because I’m excited,” he said during the promotional appearance on Global News 640 Toronto’s The John Oakley Show. “2025 is definitely going to be big.”
The song included the lyrics “we could roll sum, we could light one.” Xavier, whose father pushed to legalize marijuana during his leadership, said the lyrics in his music are open to interpretation.
“I like lyrics because people can take them any way,” Xavier said on the radio show, adding that the first single was “about relationships and it’s about the ups and downs. Whether you’re in a love relationship or friendship, there’s always those challenges. I just think it tells a great story.”
Name-checking Toronto rapper Drake as an artist he wanted to work with, Xavier likened his sound to “dark R&B” and described his music as “sort of mysterious.”
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