Country music fans slammed ABC for airing Jason Aldean’s pre-taped performance of his controversial song “Try That in a Small Town” as part of its CMA Fest concert special Wednesday, following accusations that the song and music video are “racist” and “pro-lynching.”
Aldean, an outspoken conservative, performed the set on June 10 at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium in honor of the Country Music Association’s 50th anniversary.
Hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King, and Lainey Wilson, Wednesday’s CMA Fest broadcast also featured performances by Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Eric Church, and Luke Combs.
But none was more divisive than Aldean’s concert, which aired one day after he called the accusations that he “released a pro-lynching song … not only meritless, but dangerous.”
“Oh no CMA fest gonna get cancelled for playing this Jason aldean song,” one person tweeted Wednesday.
“Honestly CMA fest allowing disgusting @Jason_Aldean to still perform is g r o s s,” another wrote.
A third commented: “Jason Aldean and this awful song make me want to change the channel!”
“Turning off #CMAFEST because Jason Aldeans song ‘In a Small Town’ should not be playing anywhere. You should be ashamed of yourself @abc,” one displeased viewer yelled at the network.
One Twitter user even deemed Aldean, 46, “a disgrace to country music.”
The Post has contacted reps for Aldean for comment.
ABC did not air footage of the music video Wednesday during the special.
Aldean released the song in May, but it wasn’t until the music video dropped Friday that the song’s inflammatory lyrics drew backlash.
In the first verse, Aldean sings: “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk / Carjack an old lady at a red light / Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store / Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like.”
He continues: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough.”
In the second verse, Aldean claims he’s equipped with a gun from his grandfather.
“Got a gun that my grandad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s–t may fly in the city, good luck,” he advises, though it’s unclear who “they” refers to.
“If It Makes You Happy” singer Sheryl Crow tweeted at Aldean on Tuesday, calling him out for “promoting violence.”
“… This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame,” Crow stated.
But the song’s popularity continues to grow even after CMT pulled the video — which features footage from protests, including Black Lives Matter protests, as well as Aldean performing in front of a Tennessee courthouse known for historic lynchings — from its rotation Monday.
As of Wednesday evening, the song occupied the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ Top Songs and Music Videos charts.
The music video has over 2.5 million views on YouTube.
Aldean defended himself from the criticism Tuesday in an Instagram Story.
“‘Try That in a Small Town,’ for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences,” he explained.
Aldean’s wife, Brittany, 35, who is also no stranger to controversy, showed support for her husband Tuesday on Instagram, captioning a selfie of themselves: “Never apologize for speaking the truth.❣️????????”
She posted again on Wednesday, captioning a photo of herself: “Man do we love y’all. ???? Free thinkers, lions not sheep… thankful for the support, always!”
The song follows a series of eyebrow-raising moves for the couple.
Last year, Aldean was dropped by his PR firm of 17 years following Brittany’s transphobic remarks online.
The couple also found themselves in a feud with fellow country star Maren Morris, 33.
The Aldeans rang in 2023 at Mar-a-Lago, where Brittany received a kiss on the forehead from former President Donald Trump, 77.
Although Aldean came under fire for his CMA Fest performance, many of his fans took to Twitter to praise him for singing the polemic tune.
“@Jason_Aldean STAND YOUR GROUND!!” one cheered.
Another fan rejoiced: “They can’t cancel @Jason_Aldean !!!!!!! @CountryMusic WAY TO SHUT THEM DOWN!!!!!”
“Speak your truth! This is the USA. It’s your right. The woke will always find fault. I’ll buy your song!” another promised.
For their part, the CMA and ABC Twitter accounts appear to have avoided posting about Aldean’s performance Wednesday as the broadcast aired.
The Post has contacted CMA and ABC for comment.
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