Carrie Underwood Returns to Social Media After Co-Signing Anti-Mask Tweet

Carrie Underwood came under fire earlier this month after she liked a tweet that featured an anti-mask message amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The country singer has since returned to social media since that controversy. While she didn't comment on the scandal, she did share a video from her recent performance at the Barefoot Country Music Festival.

In addition to sharing a video from the performance, Underwood shared multiple photos of herself on stage. The Instagram post showcased Underwood during her set at the music festival while singing hits such as "Before He Cheats." As she noted in the caption, rain threatened to put a damper on the set. But, she continued to perform in the rain with her fans singing along. Underwood joked about the rainy situation in her caption, writing, "Such a fun night in Jersey at the @barefootcountrymusicfest !!! I couldn't have hoped for a better crowd…or better weather! Thanks for the [love]!"

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A post shared by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood)

Underwood's latest post marks her return to social media following her anti-mask tweet controversy. The singer came under fire for liking an anti-mask message from conservative commentator Matt Walsh. On Aug. 12, he posted a video of himself at a Nashville school board meeting, during which he spoke out against the use of a mask mandate for schools in the city. In the video, Walsh makes a series of false statements about both the pandemic itself and the use of masks. At one point, he said that COVID-19 poses "almost no threat to our kids at all" (NPR reported that COVID-19 cases amongst children are increasing amid the rise of the delta variant, which has led to an increase in child hospitalizations). Additionally, he said that making children wear masks in school was akin to "child abuse."

It's unclear when Underwood liked this tweet. But, it is still listed under the "likes" section on her Twitter account. While Underwood has not yet responded to the controversy, Walsh did issue a series of statements in which he downplayed the matter, per The Wrap. Many of Underwood's supporters have also spoken out about the situation, with several voicing their disappointment over the singer liking such a message. One individual wrote, "It's not just that Carrie Underwood liked an anti-mask tweet. It's that Carrie Underwood liked an anti-mask tweet from Matt Walsh, one of those most negligently histrionic voices on the topic of protecting kids from COVID."