Shaboozey Defends Megan Moroney After 'Hateful Comments' Following AMA's Side-Eye: 'Let's Not Twist The Message'
Shaboozey is clarifying his viral reaction at the 2025 American Music Awards and noting it had nothing to do with his co-presenter Megan Moroney.
The country star presented the Favorite Country Duo or Group category at the AMAs in Las Vegas on Monday night alongside Moroney.
More from Deadline
AMAs 2025: Shaboozey Goes Viral For Reaction To Megan Moroney Saying The Carter Family Invented Country Music
All Of Jennifer Lopez's Outfits As Host Of The 2025 American Music Awards
Billie Eilish Dominates American Music Awards With Success In All Nominated Categories - See The Full Winners List
Reading off the teleprompter, Moroney said the award they were going to present had been awarded to The Carter Family, 'who basically invented country music.' This remark prompted a side-eye from Shaboozey, which turned him into an instant meme.
Following the viral AMAs moment, Shaboozey took to Moroney's latest Instagram post to clear up that the shade was not to her, as she didn't write the script she read at the award show.
'Just want to clear something up: my reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney!' Shaboozey wrote. 'She's an incredibly talented, hard-working artist who's doing amazing things for country music, and I've got nothing but respect for her.'
RELATED:
He continued, 'I've seen some hateful comments directed at her today, and that's not what this moment was about. Let's not twist the message — she is amazing and someone who represented the country community in the highest light.'
Shaboozey commented on social media earlier in the day following his viral reaction.
'When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased…,' Shaboozey posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
RELATED:
In a second post on Elon Musk's digital platform, Shaboozey wrote, 'The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.'
The Carter Family, who won at the first AMAs, was an American folk music group known for songs like 'Wabash Cannonball,' 'Can the Circle Be Unbroken,' 'Wildwood Flower,' 'Keep on the Sunny Side,' and 'I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes.' June Carter — known as June Carter Cash after she married Johnny Cash — was portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in 2005's Walk the Line.
The Carter Family was not a reference to Beyoncé, who won two AMAs for her country album Cowboy Carter.
Best of Deadline
'Hacks' Season 4 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Everything We Know About 'Hacks' Season 4 So Far
'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liberal news outlet mocked for reporting on ‘mysterious' drop in fentanyl flowing across border
The Washington Post is being mocked online and by the White House for "pathetic" reporting on what the liberal-leaning news outlet calls a "mysterious" decline in fentanyl flowing across the border. Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that is often trafficked into the United States across the southern and northern borders by cartels and other criminal elements. In 2024, fentanyl was linked to the death of 48,422 persons in the United States, according to the CDC. During his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to wage a war against fentanyl traffickers through increased border security and by cracking down on illegal immigration. Since taking office, Trump has deployed U.S. troops to the southern border, targeted cartels and transnational criminal groups as "foreign terrorist organizations" and hit cartel leaders with sanctions. According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the U.S. law enforcement seizures of fentanyl, which the group explains is a "key indicator of broader total smuggling at and between the southern border's ports of entry," have dropped 50% since the November election. CIS states that this significant decline indicates a "greater decline in total fentanyl smuggling." Bondi Announces One Of Largest Fentanyl Seizures In Us History The Washington Post reports on this decline, stating that U.S. seizures at the southern border are down by almost 30 percent compared with the same period in 2024. The outlet, however, states that the drop "represents something of a mystery." Read On The Fox News App "After years of confiscating rising amounts of fentanyl, the opioid that has fueled the most lethal drug epidemic in American history, U.S. officials are confronting a new and puzzling reality at the Mexican border. Fentanyl seizures are plummeting," wrote the Post. Among the possible reasons listed by the outlet are cartels finding other ways to smuggle the drug into the U.S., cartel internal strife, ingredient shortages and a possible decline in demand. Though baffled by the reason for the decline, The Washington Post posited that "public health authorities are concerned that the Trump administration's budget cuts could hurt programs that have promoted overdose antidotes and addiction treatment." Some Fentanyl Dealers Would Be Charged With Felony Murder Under New Bill The article was widely mocked by conservatives online. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., commented on X, "The Washington Post is reporting a 'mysterious drop' in fentanyl seizures at the southern border. Mystery solved! The Trump effect is working." Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative influencer, also commented, saying: "Four months into the Trump administration, The Washington Post is marveling at the 'mysterious' drop in fentanyl seizures on the Mexican border … Is the Post simply lying, or are their reporters as dumb as the people they're writing propaganda for?" Click Here For More Immigration Coverage The Department of Homeland Security's official X account also replied, commenting: "It's no mystery. On day one, [President] Trump closed our borders to drug traffickers." DHS said that "from March 2024 to March 2025 fentanyl traffic at the southern border fell by 54%." "The world has heard the message loud and clear," said DHS. Whistleblower Accuses Biden Admin Of Leaving Thousands Of Migrant Child Trafficking Reports Uninvestigated Several top White House spokespersons also weighed in. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt simply called the Post "pathetic," and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said: "They can't stand that President Trump's strong border policies have led to a DECREASE in fentanyl coming into the U.S." Abigail Jackson, another White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital that "the drop in fentanyl seizures at the border is only a mystery to Washington Post reporters suffering from Trump-Derangement Syndrome." "As of March, fentanyl traffic at the Southern Border had fallen by more than half from the same time last year – while Joe Biden's open border was still terrorizing America," said Jackson. "Everyone else knows the simple truth: President Trump closed our border to illegal drug traffickers and Americans are safer because of it." The Washington Post did not immediately respond to a request by Fox News Digital for article source: Liberal news outlet mocked for reporting on 'mysterious' drop in fentanyl flowing across border
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
EPA, Park Service take big hits in latest Trump budget plan
The Trump administration's more detailed budget request seeks to decimate science, staffing and other programs at multiple environment-related federal agencies. Entities ranging from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the National Park Service (NPS) would see deep and specific cuts under the less 'skinny' version of the administration's budget that was released late Friday. The EPA sees a 35 percent cut to the payroll for its science staff and for staff who work on environmental programs and environmental management. NPS sees a 30 percent cut to its staff in charge of park system operations. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sees a 28 percent cut to its operations, research and facilities staff payroll. But it's not just staff that takes a hit. A number of offices related to energy and environmental research, as well as disaster response, are reduced or eliminated under the proposal. It completely zeroes out NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, for example, and also cuts federal assistance at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by 32 percent. Science and technology activities at the EPA would see a 33 percent cut, while environmental programs and environmental management at the agency would see an 18 percent cut. And the Energy Department would also see a 13 percent cut to its science office. The budget document also proposes to 'wind down' the department's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which was established in the Biden-era Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bolster emerging energy technologies including hydrogen power, carbon capture, advanced nuclear reactors, and batteries. 'This sick joke of a budget is a nonstarter,' said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, in a written statement. 'In no way can America continue to lead if Trump continues his vendetta against the scientific enterprise. While Trump slashes budgets for American research and innovation, our adversaries, like China, are popping champagne. I will do everything I can to stand in the way of this ridiculous plan.' In previous years, a White House budget request has been taken as more of a signal of an administration's priorities than a roadmap that's likely to be realized since it's Congress, not the administration, that has the power of the purse. The Trump administration, however, has signaled that it is willing to go further to challenge that authority, already instituting massive layoffs at many agencies and gearing up for more. And White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said over the weekend that the administration would consider 'impoundment' to get its agenda across the finish line. It's not entirely clear how the budget would play out politically, as cuts to programs such as NPS have been historically unpopular. The administration's calls for cuts to FEMA have also been met with mixed reviews even within the GOP, although the budget proposal stops short of the administration's broader calls to eliminate FEMA entirely. The document released late Friday gives additional color to a less detailed 'skinny budget' previously released by the administration. The skinny budget also proposed big cuts at similar agencies. The White House has described the cuts as an effort to take on the 'Green New Scam,' saying in a fact sheet that 'President Trump is committed to eliminating funding for the globalist climate agenda while unleashing American energy production.' The previously announced document called for a 55 percent cut to the EPA's overall budget and a 31 percent cut to the Interior Department, which houses the Park Service. It also called for transferring certain national park 'properties' to the states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How Grindr's new 'Right Now' live feature enables even quicker hookups
Grindr has officially gone live. The app's newest feature, Right Now, is a scrollable feed where users can post photos and text for an hour at a time, letting nearby folks know exactly what they're looking for right now. Unlike the traditional grid view that sorts profiles by proximity, Right Now functions like a stripped-down, sexed-up version of Twitter. Posts disappear after an hour, but users can mark themselves as ready to host (yes, that kind of host) and make their intentions clear upfront. See on Instagram Grindr says the idea came from user demand. 'We built this intention-based feature based on feedback from our community,' said Chief Product Officer AJ Balance in a statement, 'so they can connect with like-minded people without wasting time on mismatched expectations.' The feature soft-launched in March, and thanks to overwhelming engagement, Grindr accelerated its global rollout. For now, users will receive a few free sessions per week, depending on their location, with the option to purchase additional sessions. Accessing the feed is simple: it's now embedded into the app via a new button on the main grid, the bottom nav bar, or the side drawer. Right Now is part of a larger Grindr overhaul that includes AI-powered tools like A-List (a chat summarizer) and Wingman (an AI flirting assistant). It's all part of the company's plan to revamp its image, recover from a rocky IPO, and cash in on immediacy. Call it 'the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket™,' as Grindr's branding goes—but now it's also your local live feed for horny dispatches. Because when someone asks if you're up, Grindr wants to make sure you answer fast.
