Shaboozey Explains The Bombastic Side-Eye From 2025 American Music Awards
While presenting the award for Favorite Country Duo Or Group with fellow country singer Megan Moroney, the 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' phenom side-eyed her after she stated that the Carter Family 'invented country.'
'This award went to the Carter Family, who basically invented country music,' Moroney read from the teleprompter. Shaboozey stood there with a puzzled look on his face, but took to social media on Tuesday (May 27) with a proper response.
'Google: Lesley Riddle, Steve Tartar, Harry Gay, Defoe Bailey, and The Carter Family…' Shaboozey tweeted the day after the awards show. 'When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased. The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.'
Not to be confused with Beyoncé and Cowboy Carter, Moroney was referring to a group of musicians from the 20th century who many consider to be the first stars of country music since their work popularized the genre. However, they did not invent the genre. Many Black musicians like guitarist Lesley Riddle was part of those pioneering artists that helped define the country sound.
Shaboozey also defended Moroney on Instagram — who faced backlash about the statement— noting that his reaction had nothing to do with her.
'Just want to clear something up: my reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney! 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,' he commented on her post.
The 30-year-old 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 represents the country community in the highest light!'
Dan + Shay took home the win for Favorite Country Duo Or Group while Beyoncé was named Favorite Female Country Artist and Cowboy Carter won for Favorite Country Album. Check out more highlights from the 2025 American Music Awards.
More from VIBE.com
Jennifer Lopez Announces Upcoming Las Vegas Residency While Hosting 2025 AMAs
Eminem Beats Out Kendrick Lamar For Hip-Hop Awards At 2025 AMAs, Social Media Reacts
Shaboozey Hits The Road This Fall For The Great American Roadshow Tour
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Commanders and Guardians don't need to revert to racist names to be great again
Instead of focusing on the names of professional sports teams, maybe Trump should focus on releasing the Epstein files and lowering egg prices, as he promised. Help me out, Wisconsin. Please, no one tell President Donald Trump that Milwaukee used to have an MLB team called the Braves or that Marquette University used to be known as the Warriors. I don't want to jump into the way-back machine. You might have heard Trump is urging the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians to revert to their former team names, which included derogatory terms based on racist caricatures. He even suggested that if the Commanders did not change their name back, he would obstruct the NFL team's efforts to build a new $3.7 billion football stadium in Washington, DC. This stance is part of Trump's agenda to "Make America Great Again," even if it offends Native Americans who have criticized the previous names and images for decades. This can be seen as his latest attempt at what he believes is patriotism. I'm afraid he wants to take America so far back to a time when there was separate water fountains for Black and White people. Trump claims Native Americans 'want this to happen' In a July 20 post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that Native Americans want the names reverted. "There is a big clamoring for this," wrote Trump. "Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago." I'm uncertain how many Native Americans Trump consulted to conclude that "massive numbers" want the name changed back. Even if that were true – which I doubt – it raises the question of why they would like the name to be reverted in the first place. Take our poll: Trump wants Washington Commanders to revert to old name. Should they? | Opinion Forum Following George Floyd's killing by a Minneapolis police officer, there was a renewed effort to remove Confederate statues seen as symbols of slavery and racism and to eliminate racist sports team names. By the end of 2020, nearly 100 Confederate monuments had been taken down, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Efforts begun in the Biden administration to rename offensive and derogatory place names – including many in Wisconsin – were halted by Trump-appointed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The Washington football team rebranded as the Commanders in 2022 following the controversy surrounding their original name. Similarly, the Cleveland baseball team changed their name to the Guardians in 2021 after going by their original name since 1915. Neither Washington nor Cleveland appears willing to cave to pressure to revert to names they used in the past simply to appease Trump, and they should firmly stand by this decision. Furthermore, if Trump interferes with the Commanders' efforts to secure a new stadium, the NFL should consider legal action. This could prevent Trump from targeting other teams in similar ways. What would stop him from pushing teams to return to leather helmets or reinstating outdated rules intended to protect players? Milwaukee Brewers, Marquette Golden Eagles changed names Imagine what will happen if Trump discovers Milwaukee's past? Before moving to Atlanta in 1966, the MLB franchise used a logo with a laughing Native American with a mohawk and feather. What about my alma mater, Marquette University? Will he pressure the school to change from the Golden Eagles back to 'the Warriors,' which in 1961-71 featured Willie Wampum, a Native American with a giant cartoonish head and Indigenous clothing? I must admit that I had a hard time adjusting to the name changes for Washington and Cleveland. The team change for the nation's capital was especially difficult for me because, as a football historian, I remember the great battles between the Washington (derogatory name) and the Green Bay Packers. Do you remember the 1983 football game between Washington and Green Bay at Lambeau Field, which became the second-highest scoring game in Monday Night Football history? Washington's quarterback, Joe Theismann, and the Packers' quarterback, Lynn Dickey, combined to throw for nearly 800 yards. The Packers won the game 48-47 with a field goal by Jan Stenerud. Opinion: Trump bans AP and words he doesn't like. 'Free speech' was never about the First Amendment. This game quickly made the Washington team my second favorite. Although its logo featured an image of Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf, I didn't find anything wrong with the depiction of the Native American with a red face. For years, I hadn't fully understood the significance and racial implications of the derogatory name and imagery associated. That changed after a conversation with one of my former editors, Ricardo Pimentel. He posed a thought-provoking question: "James, what if the Washington team was called the Washington N-words?" While no one would ever take it that far, his words made me rethink and recognize the impact of such imagery. This is something that Trump should consider before interfering with professional sports. Instead, he might want to focus on delivering on promises he made to the American people, you know about releasing the Jeffrey Epstein case files and lowering egg prices. James E. Causey is an Ideas Lab reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column originally appeared. Reach him at jcausey@ or follow him on X: @jecausey
Chicago Tribune
28 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Groups that support LGBTQ+ individuals brace for funding cuts that could affect HIV care, prevention
Chicago-area groups that support LGBTQ+ individuals are navigating an uncertain landscape while bracing for federal funding cuts that could affect HIV care and prevention. Cuts outlined in President Donald Trump's proposed 2026 budget mean some groups stand to lose federal funds that support medical services like testing and HIV treatment, as well as nonmedical patient supports such as housing and food subsidies. Research money that goes toward drug development is also on the chopping block. Advocates say that because the virus disproportionately affects transgender, Black and Latino individuals — and prevention efforts have been focused on those communities — HIV funding has taken a hit as diversity, equity and inclusion programs are rolled back. 'When we allocate funds to prioritize the needs of this community, it's a community that has been impacted by health disparities since before we've been counted by the census,' said Terra Campbell, associate director of community relations at LGBTQ+ health care provider Howard Brown Health. 'It's not special treatment. It's investment in the needs of your neighbor and the community.' The Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center's funding will be cut completely in the current budget proposal for fiscal year 2026. It provides training and support for health care professionals working in HIV prevention, care and treatment. Shanett Jones, Illinois program director, estimates the center trains more than 4,000 providers every year. The center receives funding under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, the largest federal program for HIV in America. The 2026 budget proposal eliminates the part of the Ryan White program that establishes and funds all AIDS education and training centers across the United States. 'If we do lose this funding, we risk having a less prepared workforce, which leads to delayed diagnosis of people living with HIV,' Jones said. 'This is an infrastructure that, once it's dismantled, it does not come back easily — you can't win the race by slashing the engine.' AIDS Foundation Chicago gets more than 80% of its funding from federal sources. Alongside advocacy work, the foundation provides support services for people living with HIV, including testing and prevention resources, education, housing and health insurance. In 2024, the foundation served more than 8,000 people in the Chicago area. Timothy Jackson, senior director of policy, said the foundation is currently planning for a projected loss of 40% of those funds in the president's 2026 budget request. AIDS Foundation Chicago is partially funded by both Ryan White and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to KFF, a nonprofit health policy research organization, the proposed budget cuts all of the CDC's HIV prevention funds. The foundation also receives funding through the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program, which will also be eliminated in the proposed 2026 budget. These nonmedical services are essential for reducing HIV in Chicago, Jackson said. 'We have to look at all of the other things that make HIV possible, or make the transmission of HIV possible. So that's when we talk about housing, that's when we talk about harm reduction. That's why we talk about transportation and food access and all of these other different things,' he said. AIDS Foundation Chicago filed a lawsuit in February along with two other nonprofits challenging executive orders that sought to end 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' programs and equity-related grants and contracts. 'Our mission is rooted in ending HIV and homelessness in the communities that are most impacted. And it is very difficult to do that when you are not leading with equity,' Jackson said. These organizations' work has already been affected by the National Institutes of Health funding pause earlier this year, and will continue to be affected by cuts to research funding in the planned budget. Jackson said the recent success of the twice-annual HIV prevention shot, lenacapavir, would not have been possible without NIH and CDC funding. 'This administration does not value science. We see that play out over the huge cuts at the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, which all impact HIV and the work around new HIV treatment and prevention modalities,' Jackson said. Even groups that are not largely reliant on federal funding are experiencing the strain of an uncertain economic future. Chris Balthazar, executive director of TaskForce Prevention and Community Services, a health and wellness group serving LGBTQ+ youth in Chicago, says many of his organization's partners are only signing contracts for quarterly periods, instead of their usual 12-month periods, in case funding disappears. These partners are how TaskForce provides many of its services, which include legal and housing aid, HIV and other STD testing, and connecting patients to medical care. 'Imagine what the impact of that is on the ground. How do you sustain a job on a grant that you don't even have a full 12-month contract for?' he said. Additionally, Balthazar explained that while state funding is not being cut as explicitly as federal funding, it is still expected to decline. The federal government partially funds the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health, which then give grants to groups like TaskForce. Since the health departments don't know what sort of funding to expect in the next year, they aren't able to commit to the same grants they have in years previous. 'So much of the state budget comes from the federal budget. And I think that it's scary that, unfortunately, if this continues and nothing is undone, we're going to see major cuts, and we're going to see more and more people who are on the margins of the margins be even more drastically devastated by this,' he said. Both Jackson and Jones said that the most important thing anyone can do for HIV care and prevention in Chicago right now is to call their representatives and express support for continued HIV funding. 'It's reassuring that we have people who are still engaged, who are still advocating, who are still hoping. And when I go and I talk to community groups, I tell them, we can't go back to the '80s,' Jackson said. 'We're going to do what we have always done in 40-plus years of the epidemic: rely on community to get us through.'
Chicago Tribune
28 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Weeks after mass shooting, Artis Restaurant and Lounge permanently closes
Owners of the queer and women-owned Artis Restaurant and Lounge in Chicago's River North neighborhood said the decision to reopen or shut down for good following a mass shooting outside its doors earlier this month had nothing to do with public pressure or political hostility. 'I'm a mom and I'm a wife, and this is the second time that I have dodged gunfire this year,' said Brandi Artis, chef and co-owner of Artis. While Brandi and her wife, Brittany Artis, were on vacation in Puerto Rico earlier this year, she said they had to run and take cover from shots fired while out at a dinner. 'I got to go home to my kids twice this year. I couldn't have been that lucky.' The Creole restaurant was temporarily closed after the July 2 shooting that Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling described as a moment of sheer horror. According to police reports, a dark vehicle drove past Artis at 311 W. Chicago Ave. at about 11 p.m. during an album release party for local drill rapper Mello Buckzz. Three people inside the car fired shots into a crowd on the sidewalk, police said. The car fled the scene, but the attackers shot 18 people in just a few seconds, killing four. In November 2022, one person was killed and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at Hush Lounge Nightclub — which occupied the location before Artis opened. The city temporarily closed Hush after that shooting and also revoked its licenses, which eventually led to Hush's closure. Following the July 2 shooting, Ald. Brendan Reilly, whose 42nd Ward includes Artis, called for the permanent closure of the space, pointing to a history of violence at the location and accusing the owners of misleading city officials. His comments circulated on social media quickly, with many calling it racist rhetoric. 'Despite early assurances from the new restaurant owner that this venue would support local artisans, foster inclusivity and serve as a hub for connection, creativity and joy — the owners decided to turn over their venue to promote a new rap album release,' Reilly said in a statement on July 3. 'It is clear the new operators were dishonest with the City about their plans for the venue and have now contributed to a devastating act of violence — just weeks after opening as a BYOB 'restaurant.'' Erica Wright, a close friend of the Artises for over two decades, criticized Reilly's comments in the days following the shooting, citing an interview with WMAQ-Ch. 5 Chicago, in which Reilly said Artis' owners bore some responsibility for the shooting by 'hosting an album release party for a local rapper on the Southeast Side who had rivals.' 'It just goes into the continued criminalization of Black people, as if we're a monolith of one particular type of people,' Wright said. Reilly did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Artis, which opened April 10, was designed to fuse Creole, soul and American food with a mission to create an inclusive space for Chicago's LGBTQ community. 'Artis brings in doctors, lawyers, therapists, engineers, postal workers, sanitation workers, entertainers and maybe someone who is unemployed — it's a space for people,' Wright said. Before opening Artis, Brandi worked in kitchens across the South and West sides and launched Simply Delicious Bartending and Catering and La Chica Bonita — a taco pop-up that took off at Nobody's Darling, Little Bureau Bar and the now-closed Tantrum nightclub. Brandi and Brittany also competed on the Food Network's 16th season of 'The Great Food Truck Race' in 2023. Brandi said she hasn't gone back to the storefront since the night of the shooting, when she and her wife were behind the bar. 'The space protected us that evening, but the space was no longer for us,' she said. 'It's not something you're OK with. It's not something you just pick up and you say, 'OK, let's just keep moving.' … I wasn't OK with opening the doors again.' Brandi, who is Black, Puerto Rican and Lebanese, moved to Chicago after her family felt unsafe raising their young children in their hometown in Missouri. She said she left to 'find freedom' because of a shift in constitutional laws such as Roe v. Wade and troubling discourse around LGBTQIA rights. 'It just definitely makes us realize that sometimes we can try to create a safe space and place, but it doesn't mean that we're wanted where we are, so I'm going to look for a place where I am celebrated and not just tolerated,' Brandi said. She said she feels the same way about closing Artis. 'My mother taught me that a long time ago — go somewhere and be somewhere where people love you. So I will look for a space that loves me. I will look for a place that I love and a place that will be loved by other people.' A GoFundMe to help the couple pay for expenses while the restaurant was closed has shifted its goal 'toward the rebuilding of another future for Chef Brandi and Dr. Brittany Artis.' As of Tuesday, the campaign had raised more than $4,400 of its $80,000 goal. Artis' website and Instagram account will remain active as Brandi and Brittany continue their catering program. The seasonings and sauces used in the restaurant will also be available to purchase soon. Brandi said walking away from the restaurant meant they lost all of their investments, including their deposit. She hopes the GoFundMe will help as they plan their next move. And they hope the next space will be a 'safe place that serves people.' 'Right now, we're just going to spend the last part of this year watching our kids go to school and see what our lives look like a little bit after just healing from the trauma of what we went through as business owners, as women, as mothers and as people,' Brandi said.
