We’ve all been there — maybe not in front of thousands of fans at a Major League Baseball game, but we’ve all had that moment where our brain just… glitches.
For Hamilton star Christopher Jackson, that moment came on national television.
The Tony Award nominee took the mic before the New York Mets’ opening night game on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Citi Field. Everything was going smoothly until he hit the fourth line of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Instead of singing “O’er the ramparts we watched,” Jackson repeated “What so proudly we hailed” from earlier in the song. If you haven’t seen the clip yet, TMZ shared the video on X and it quickly made the rounds.
Here’s the thing, though — Jackson recovered almost instantly. He got right back on track with “were so gallantly streaming,” barely letting the stumble register.
Blink and you might have missed it. Almost.
Social Media Reacts to Christopher Jackson’s Flub
The internet, naturally, had thoughts. But here’s where the story gets kind of wholesome: the reaction was more admiration than mockery.
“Carried on like a pro! I respect someone who makes a mistake and presses forward without missing a beat,” one X user wrote.
Others couldn’t resist connecting the flub to the Mets’ recent history of heartbreak. The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason.
So, yeah, the jokes wrote themselves.
“He just cursed the entirety of the Mets’ 2026 season,” another X user wrote.
Mets fans know pain. They were not about to let a botched anthem go without turning it into a prophecy of doom.
Despite the so-called “curse,” the Mets went on to win 11-7. So maybe the flubbed anthem was actually good luck? Mets fans will take whatever they can get at this point.
Christopher Jackson Responded Like an Absolute Pro
After the game, Jackson addressed the moment head-on with TMZ, and honestly, his response was the definition of grace under pressure.
“I’ve had the honor of singing the National Anthem countless times in Stadiums around the country. Today was a beautiful Opening Day and it was thrilling to be there!” he told the outlet.
He described singing the national anthem as a “unique and challenging experience.”
“Today it was for about 5 seconds … and one line got away from me,” he added. “I’m human. But I won’t hesitate to step up to a mic and pay tribute to those that we honor with the Anthem. Grateful to the Mets and MLB for allowing me to be a small part of the Day.”
Christopher Jackson Is No Stranger to Big Stages
For those who only know him from this viral clip, Jackson has serious credentials. He was nominated for a Tony Award for playing George Washington in the Broadway musical Hamilton.
He also played Benny in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights and made his Broadway debut in 1997 in The Lion King. He even played Derek Jeter in the Broadway show Bronx Bombers, which ran for less than a month.
And this isn’t some rare outing for him with the anthem either. Jackson sang the anthem without mistake at a New York Knicks game last week, per the Toronto Sun.
He also performed it ahead of the NFL playoff game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams in January, per People.
One slip-up out of “countless” performances? Honestly, those are pretty solid odds. The internet had its fun, Jackson handled it with class and the Mets got their W. Everyone wins.
