Broadway star Christopher Jackson botches Star Spangled Banner in Mets' season opener
Award-winning actor and singer Christopher Jackson forgot the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner when singing before the Mets' season opener.
Paul Skenes was not the only one who had a rough start in the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates' season opener on Thursday at Citi Field. Award-winning actor and singer Christopher Jackson forgot the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner when singing the national anthem before the game. While he got off to a fine start, Jackson paused before repeating the lyrics, "What so proudly we hailed," from earlier in the verse.
The broadcast cameras panned to veterans and players who winced after Jackson's blunder. Jackson picked up the lyrics at "were so gallantly streaming" and finished the national anthem despite his mistake. š¬ "Hamilton" star messes up the National Anthem at the Mets' Opening Day game.
Credit: X / Mets pic. twitter. com/k5o1taAh2F ā TMZ (@TMZ) March 26, 2026 Jackson has starred on Broadway and, ironically, played George Washington in the original cast of Hamilton, a role that won him a Tony award.
The Mets were able to start the season 1-0 after an 11-7 victory over the Pirates that saw the home team chase Skenes after just 2/3 of an inning and five runs allowed.