Tate McRae Faces Canadian Backlash After Team USA Olympic Ad — and Jack Hughes' Golden Goal Makes It Worse

Canadian pop star Tate McRae has found herself at the center of a national firestorm — one that started with a Team USA Olympics commercial and exploded the moment her rumored boyfriend Jack Hughes scored the overtime gold-medal winner for the United States against Canada on February 22, 2026, at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

The NBC Ad That Started It All

In early February, Tate McRae appeared in an NBC and Peacock promotional campaign for the 2026 Winter Olympics, openly hyping Team USA athletes, the Milan opening ceremony, and referencing Lindsey Vonn's comeback. The ad featured heavy American flag imagery throughout. For a Calgary-born artist who shares her birthday with Canada Day (July 1), the move landed like a slap shot to the chest for many Canadian fans. McRae was quickly branded "Traitre McRae" — a play on the French word for traitor — by at least one Canadian radio station, and the backlash on social media was swift.

Tate McRae Responds: "Y'all Know I'm Canada Down"

Facing a flood of angry comments, Tate McRae took to Instagram Stories to defend herself — posting a throwback photo of herself as a small child proudly holding a tiny Canadian flag, captioning it: "Y'all know I'm Canada down." The response calmed some fans, but others remained unconvinced given the timing of the commercial and the mounting rumors about her relationship with Team USA's star player.

Jack Hughes, the Golden Goal, and the Rumored Romance

The controversy reached its peak on February 22, 2026, when New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes — 24, and McRae's rumored boyfriend — scored 1 minute and 41 seconds into 3-on-3 overtime to give the United States a 2-1 gold-medal win over Canada, the country's first men's hockey Olympic gold since the legendary 1980 "Miracle on Ice."

Within minutes, Tate McRae was trending on X. The pair have been linked since November 2025, when they were spotted dining at Anton's in New York City's West Village. McRae was also seen attending Hughes' return game with the Devils following a thumb injury in December. Neither has confirmed nor denied a relationship.

The Fan Fallout: Boycott Calls and Social Media Fury

The reaction inside Canada has been fierce. Canadians flooded X demanding a boycott of Tate McRae's music, with posts ranging from humorous — "She told Jack all of our secrets" — to outright hostile. Some fans shared screenshots of themselves blocking the artist. The backlash taps into a broader mood of heightened Canadian national pride during a period of political tension between Canada and the United States.

Tate McRae's Music Career at an All-Time High

Despite the controversy, Tate McRae's artistic profile has never been stronger. Her 2025 album So Close to What debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and she earned her first Grammy nomination for "Just Keep Watching" in the Best Dance Pop Recording category. Her track "Greedy" has surpassed 1.93 billion Spotify streams. Brand partnerships with Neutrogena, Adidas, and SKIMS have pushed her estimated earnings to between $11 and $13.8 million annually.

Whether Tate McRae publicly congratulates Jack Hughes — or keeps her silence — is now the most-watched social media moment in Canadian pop culture this week.