Parker McCollum, Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert.
Shutterstock (3)rising country star Parker McCollum is defending Jason’s side It is Miranda Lambert in the wake of their respective musical controversies.
“It’s weird that you never see good-hearted, smart, successful people talking shit in the comments section,” McCollum, 31, tweeted on Wednesday, July 19, apparently lending their support to the country’s two icons. “I feel like there’s a reason for that.”
McCollum’s comment came shortly after he retweeted several messages referring to Aldean, 46, and Lambert, 39, who have separately made headlines in recent weeks.
When it came to Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” — which was criticized for its pro-gun lyrics — McCollum offered his followers a different take.
“It’s hilarious to hear the media accuse Jason Aldean of writing a song that ‘promotes violence’ when almost every rap song in the last 30 years has directly and enthusiastically glorified murder, drug dealing, theft and every other violent crime, and these people say nothing,” one tweet read. originally written by the author Matt Walsh on Tuesday, July 18, that McCollum reposted
While Aldean initially released his track in May, its new music video dropped on Friday, July 14th — and with it came a wave of controversy.
“Got a gun my grandfather gave me / They say they’ll arrest one day / Well that shit can fly in the city, good luck,” he sings. “Try this in a small town / See how far you get on the road / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t / Try this in a small town.”
Some listeners were taken aback by the song due to Aldean’s personal history with mass shootings. He was performing in Las Vegas in 2017 when a gunman opened fire, killing 58 and injuring 546. Sheryl Crow was among many vocal critics of the song’s message.
Aldean addressed the backlash in a social media statement on Tuesday. “Over the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song released since May) and subjected to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not very pleased with the national BLM protests. These references are not only without merit, but also dangerous,” he wrote, denying that the lyrics promote racist ideology.
He continued: “There isn’t a single lyric in the song that references or points to race – and there isn’t a single music video that isn’t real news – and while I may try to respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far.
Lambert, meanwhile, caused an uproar on Sunday, July 17, when he interrupted his Las Vegas show to berate some fans for taking selfies during his song “Tin Man.”
“I’m going to stop here for a second, I’m sorry. These girls are worried about their selfies and not listening to the music,” she told the audience, according to a TikTok clip shared after the show. “This is pissing me off a bit. Sorry, I don’t like it. No way.”
In the video, several bystanders got up and left after the uncomfortable incident. “Come on. Come on. You don’t do that with the fans,” said one attendee.
McCollum, however, supported Lambert’s actions. retweeting a video on Sunday that showed the concerned fans using a bright flash and interrupting the crowd with a full photo shoot before the “Bluebird” singer called them out.
“To all the people who come after her. #MirandaLambert,” the original poster captioned the clip.
The singer of “A Year’s Hell” later re-shared old video of Lambert bringing a young fan named Remy onstage having her as an example of the influence of the singer. “Do you want to sing this song with me?” Lambert asked the little girl in the clip. She held Remy’s hand and started to cry as they sang together.
Lambert has not publicly commented on the mid-show drama, but a source exclusively told us weekly on Tuesday that “there is a level of respect that is expected” from the audience when Lambert takes the stage.
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“She understands the fans are there to have fun, but she hopes people focus more on the show and the moment than using the opportunity to promote social media,” the source said, adding, “Miranda is, and has always been, incredibly grateful for her fans and she feels blessed to have such a devoted following.”