We are experiencing pushback. Brittany Aldean (née Kerr), the wife of country music star Jason Aldean, is at the center of a transphobic social media scandal.
“I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” Brittany, 34, captioned a makeup reveal video via Instagram on Wednesday, August 24.
She remarked in light of the continuing discussion and efforts to limit access to gender-affirming care for kids in the United States.
According to HRC, anti-LGBTQ legislation has been signed into law by at least 13 states and introduced in another 23 states in 2022. Gender-affirming health care and transgender children are the focus of many recent regulations.
Several singers quickly took to social media to criticize Brittany’s remark after she posted the video.
On Friday, August 26 via Twitter and Instagram, Cassadee Pope, 32, responded to Jason’s wife Brittany without tagging Brittany.
“You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging,” The Voice winner wrote about Brittany’s Xo Britt line of hair extensions. “But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.”
Shortly after Cassadee tweeted, Joy Oladokun retweeted it, adding, “Waking up happy that my parents didn’t raise me to be as rude and nasty as @brittanyaldean.”
The “Breathe Again” singer, who is openly gay, continued, “I also would like to say the LGBTQs have clearer skin without whatever she pushin’.”
I also would like to say the LGBTQ’s have clearer skin without whatever she pushin’ https://t.co/NFGSSXMy8Y pic.twitter.com/D91RKWU8Ty
— joy oladokun is in crocs. (@joyoladokun) August 26, 2022
Maren Morris added her perspective to the conversation. “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie,” the “Bones” singer, 32, wrote in response to Cassadee’s tweet.
Another of Brittany’s friends, Candace Owens informed Maren via Twitter that “it’s easier to not castrate your children.” She added, “But I guess whatever helps sell bad records.”
“Oh my god, not you. My Grammy is positively sobbing right now,” the “Middle” singer clapped back. “Also, why do y’all always go to ‘castration’ and ‘pedophiles’ to try and shut an argument down? It’s honestly concerning and worth looking into.”
The Aldeans wore synchronized, bejeweled costumes to the 2022 CMA Awards, but Maren boycotted the event and stayed off social media.
To learn everything we know about the controversy, keep scrolling.
Brittany Issues A Statement
In order to express her opinions on the subject, Brittany used her Instagram Story. She wrote, “Tagging Cassadee”, “Advocating for the genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love and calling it ‘gender affirming care’ is one of the worst evils.”
“Some parents want to be accepted by society so badly, that they’re willing to make life-altering decisions for their children who aren’t old enough to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions,” she continued. “Love is protecting your child until they are mature enough as an adult to make their own life decisions.”
The statement continued, “Thankful my parents allowed me to go through my tomboy phase without changing my gender.”
“Until then, leave children alone,” Brittany concluded.
Brittany shared a screenshot of Maren’s reply on Instagram Story and mockingly stated, “Karen Morris. Thanks for calling me Barbie.”
Jason Chimes In
Shortly after Maren referred to Brittany as “Barbie,” Jason, 45, seemed to join in by referring to his own wife as “MY Barbie” in the comments area of an Instagram photo published on August 27.
Support For Maren
Her husband, Ryan Hurd, defended Maren after numerous of Brittany’s friends and fans attacked her online.
“Scoring quick points by picking on trans kids isn’t something that is brave at all. And I’m proud of Maren for sticking up for them. Badge of honor to have [Candace] engage in completely normal discourse, too,” he wrote via Twitter on August 28. “Shut up and sing only applies to those who you disagree with. Getting a lot of people telling me our career is over, as if the last time she spoke up about something it disappeared. Honestly, we’re pretty ok over here. Tours are good, got a 2 year old we love, we’re f—ing fine, and I promise she isn’t going to shut up now.”
The “Chasing After You” singer added, “And on another note, I always support and love Maren, I know I’m sparse in the internet but I am proud of her and always will be. For everything she stands for, I do too. Ready to get some rest together and enjoy our little kid. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.”
And on another note, I always support and love Maren, I know I’m sparse in the internet but I am proud of her and always will be. For everything she stands for, I do too. Ready to get some rest together and enjoy our little kid. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.
— Ryan Hurd (@RyanHurd) August 27, 2022
More Statements
The native of North Carolina maintained her defense of her opinions on August 28 when she posted a quote to her Instagram Story.
“If you are silent about your beliefs because you are worried someone will be offended, then your beliefs are not that important to you, but rather what people think about you is,” Brittany’s post read. “When you stand up for what’s right and true, you will receive both hate and love, but everyone will know what you are fighting for.”
‘Advocating For Children’
On the Tucker Carlson Tonight segment on September 1, Brittany appeared and declared her intention to “advocate for children.”
“I think that children should not be allowed to make these life-changing decisions at such a young age. They are not mature enough; they should have parents who love them and advocate for them regardless,” she told the host. “We have ages on everything. We have it for cigarettes, driving, military, voting … yet for some reason people think that we can let a child choose their gender so young? It’s very baffling to me.”
The woman in business maintained that kids are “too young to make those decisions” that are “life-changing.”
“There are so many consequences of doing that as such a young age,” Brittany continued. “Society should be able to sit back, speak our minds about it and fight for these children.”
Jason’s PR Team Steps Down
Amid the scandal, Jason’s almost 20-year-old public relations agency announced that they had resigned from representing the “Dirt Road Anthem” singer.
“Music has always been and remains The GreenRoom’s core focus, so we had to make the difficult decision after 17 years to step away from representing Jason,” Tyne Parrish, co-owner of GreenRoom said on September 1 to Billboard. “We aren’t the best people for the gig anymore, but will always be big fans of his music — he is one of the greatest live entertainers in country music.”
GreenRoom did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Jason’s client termination.
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Maren Speaks Out
Maren reflected on her feud with Brittany while speaking to the Los Angeles Times in an interview published on September 20.
“I’m not a victim in this and neither is she,” she said. “But I don’t have feelings of kindness when it comes to humans being made fun of for questioning their identity, especially kids. The whole ‘When they go low, we go high’ thing doesn’t work with these people. Any resistance movement is not done with kind words. And there’s a lot worse things I could’ve called her.”
She then discussed why she needed to speak out against Brittany’s comments. “I hate feeling like I need to be the hall monitor of treating people like human beings in country music. It’s exhausting,” she said. “But there’s a very insidious culture of people feeling very comfortable being transphobic and homophobic and racist, and that they can wrap it in a joke and no one will ever call them out for it. It just becomes normal for people to behave like that.”
The Texas native continued, “I think just the culture of misinformation that goes along with trans youth is where I was coming from. It’s not, ‘Oh, this is bad, and this is good, and we can agree to disagree.’ No, we can’t, and you are being fed information that is false. And even though you’re not the one with the bullet in the gun, your words matter. Your disinformation matters. That hospital in Boston just had a bomb threat because people who listen to that rhetoric literally think they’re mutilating kids and don’t bother reading any sort of actual study on it.”
“This whole thing got so ugly so fast because the worst they can say to me is, ‘Oh, you must be a groomer then.’ That’s literally their favorite word,” she said of the comments she’s received from critics amid the feud. “I have a son, and I think we’re all — especially all parents — we’re just trying to do our best and take care of our kids and make sure they’re happy. You don’t know if one day they’re gonna come home in tears because they don’t feel right in their body. And it’s just so s–tty — for the parents that are going through that right now to make a joke out of it. Suicide rates are so high because of hateful bulls–t — like that. I don’t care if it’s a joke. But they don’t want to talk about that part because it’s too real.”
Fans Take Sides
The drama continued when Jason referenced Maren on stage on October 14 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
“I thought, man, who could I call? I got some friends in town,” he told the audience as he revealed that a special guest was joining him on stage. “I could call Luke Bryan. I could call Kane Brown. See if Kenny Chesney’s here and not at the beach.”
The moment he mentioned Maren, the audience began to boo loudly, and Jason made a bewildered expression as if he didn’t understand why.
Maren Morris Skips 2022 CMA Awards
Despite being nominated for Album of the Year, Maren’s Humble Quest stayed off the red carpet at the CMA Awards on November 9 due to the conflict. During the second half of the performance, the singer discreetly entered.
The “I Can’t Love You Anymore” singer has already disclosed to the Los Angeles Times that she “did not feel comfortable” attending the award show. “Honestly, I haven’t decided if I’m gonna go. I’m very honored that my record is nominated,” she told the publication. “But I don’t know if I feel [at] home there right now. So many people I love will be in that room, and maybe I’ll make a game-time decision and go.”
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