Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders owner sues My Chemical Romance over copied uniforms

My Chemical Romance is facing a legal challenge from the company behind the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over dancers wearing lookalike uniforms during the rock band’s Hollywood Bowl residency in Los Angeles. According to reports by NBC News, NME and TheWrap, Pro Silver Star Ltd., the owner of the cheerleading brand, has asked a Texas court to prevent the band from continuing to use the costumes in its performances.

The dispute centres on a theatrical sequence in which dancers dressed in outfits resembling the cheerleaders’ distinctive blue-and-white uniforms took part in a staged gunfight. The company argues that the use of its recognisable branding in a violent performance could damage the reputation and commercial value of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.What happened during the Hollywood Bowl performance?The controversy began during My Chemical Romance’s October 21, 2026, performance at the Hollywood Bowl, where the band is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its landmark album The Black Parade.

During the song Teenagers, dancers appeared in costumes resembling the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ uniforms. The performance continued into Disenchanted, when the dancers became involved in a choreographed confrontation with soldiers, carrying prop rifles before appearing to be shot and crawling offstage.The sequence formed part of the band’s theatrical presentation for its anniversary tour.

However, the resemblance between the costumes and the professional cheerleading squad’s signature outfits has now become the focus of a legal dispute. Pro Silver Star maintains that the costumes could lead audiences to believe the performers were official members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The company has pointed to social media reactions as evidence that some viewers made that connection.Brand owner alleges trademark infringementPro Silver Star filed its request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on October 23, seeking to stop the band from using the disputed uniforms.

The company contends that the outfits reproduce distinctive elements of the cheerleaders’ established look, including white boots, white shorts, blue cropped tops and white vests decorated with blue stars, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times and TheWrap. The dispute goes beyond costume similarities. The company argues that using recognisable uniforms in a simulated shooting sequence risks associating the real cheerleading squad with violence, potentially harming its reputation and commercial goodwill.Pro Silver Star also alleges that it approached the band about discontinuing the costumes before turning to the courts.

Footage from the October 23 concert appeared to show dancers wearing similar outfits again, according to NME and Rolling Stone. The company is seeking unspecified monetary damages alongside the requested court order. The legal action raises questions about the limits of trademark protection for recognisable uniforms when they are incorporated into artistic performances.My Chemical Romance’s anniversary tour continuesThe legal dispute comes as My Chemical Romance marks two decades of The Black Parade, the band’s influential 2006 album that helped establish its place in alternative rock.

The Hollywood Bowl residency is part of the group’s Long Live The Black Parade tour, which features the album performed in full alongside a theatrical narrative built around a fictional authoritarian regime. The staged confrontation involving the dancers fits into that broader production rather than functioning as a standalone performance.The band had further Hollywood Bowl dates scheduled for October 30 and 31, bringing its five-show residency to a close.

Whether the disputed costumes would appear in those performances remained uncertain at the time of reporting. Neither My Chemical Romance nor its representatives had publicly responded to media requests for comment, according to reports published by NBC News and TheWrap. The request for an injunction is a legal claim, not a final finding of infringement, and the outcome will depend on the court proceedings.For now, the case places a familiar tension between artistic expression and brand protection in the spotlight.

Pro Silver Star’s position is that the band can retain its music, staging and storyline while changing the costumes. The central question is whether the lookalike outfits cross the legal line from theatrical reference to unauthorised use of a protected commercial identity.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.