John Violinist faces backlash after allegedly snubbing a gay couple on-stage
Rev. Darrell Goodwin (left) John Violinist (right) (Rev. Darrell Goodwin Facebook / JohnViolinist.com)
Musician John Violinist, also known as John Randolph, is facing criticism after Rev. Darrell Goodwin said the violinist ignored him and his husband during an on-stage anniversary shout-out at a Hartford concert, despite audience members pointing them out.
Goodwin said he attended Randolph’s 7 November show at The Bushnell in Hartford, Connecticut with his husband, Kenny, to celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary. Randolph performs under the stage name John Violinist and has more than 1.4 million followers across his social media accounts, where he shares violin-led covers and instrumental takes on contemporary hits.
In a Facebook post, Goodwin wrote: “The evening started wonderfully. Until it didn’t.”
He said that when Randolph asked couples celebrating anniversaries to stand, he and Kenny “proudly stood” alongside other couples. Goodwin alleged Randolph acknowledged other couples one by one, but not them, writing: “Everyone around us was acknowledged. Except us.”
Goodwin claimed the moment continued even after Randolph asked if he had missed anyone. He said audience members pointed towards them, but Randolph “continued to ignore us”, before the couple eventually sat down.
What does Rev. Darrell Goodwin say happened at the show?
Goodwin described the experience as “humiliating”, writing: “I cannot adequately describe how humiliating it felt to stand there, in a theater full of people, watching our marriage be treated as though it was invisible.”
He also said the crowd’s reaction stayed with him. Goodwin wrote that a woman from the front row came over, embraced them, and told them: “I see you. I love you! Happy Anniversary!” He added: “The audience did what the artist would not.”
In the same post, Goodwin said the “repeated framing of relationships exclusively between men and women” during the performance “only deepened our sense of exclusion”, and that he and Kenny left early.
A separate account on Threads also alleged Randolph “completely looked over a beautiful gay couple” during the anniversary call-out, despite the crowd pointing to them.
Did John Violinist or The Bushnell apologise?
In an update, Goodwin said Randolph responded privately and offered an apology, and that The Bushnell also offered an apology and a promise of a refund. Goodwin added that they would “await a public statement from both”.
Live shows have sparked similar flashpoints before, including December 2022, when Paul Heaton called out homophobic abuse at a London O2 Arena gig.
