Maren Morris Apologizes to 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens for Country Music's Homophobia
Maren Morris recently made an appearance as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. During her appearance on the reality series, Morris addressed homophobia within the country music industry. As PEOPLE noted, Morris apologized to the drag queen contestants for the country music industry's relationship with the LGBTQ community.
The "My Church" singer had a chat with the contestants on an episode of RPDR: Untucked. Morris acknowledged how the country music industry can sometimes have an ignorant attitude toward the LGBTQ community. She said that she wanted to apologize to the contestants because of it, adding, "And I love you guys for making me feel like a brave voice in country music. So, I just thank you guys so much for inspiring me." The contestants then praised Morris for being an ally to the LGBTQ community, which made her a little emotional. She jokingly replied, "I'm gonna cry, I need to go."
As Morris' fans know, she's been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community and has even taken aim at those in the spotlight who have shared such ignorant opinions. In 2022, she had a prominent feud with Jason Aldean and his wife, Brittany Aldean, for this very reason. It all began when Brittany posted a video of herself putting on makeup, which she captioned with, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life." This prompted singer Cassadee Pope to write on Twitter, "You'd think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their 'tomboy phase' to someone wanting to transition. Real nice."
Morris concurred with Pope's sentiment, and replied, "It's so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie." Jason later acknowledged the drama by calling his wife, "My Barbie." Meanwhile, Morris' husband, Ryan Hurd, spoke out in her defense and praised her for "sticking up" for others.
"Scoring quick points by picking on trans kids isn't something that is brave at all. And I'm proud of Maren for sticking up for them. Badge of honor to have CO engage in completely normal discourse, too. Shut up and sing only applies to those who you disagree with," Hurd tweeted. "Getting a lot of people telling me our career is over as if the last time she spoke up about something it disappeared. Honestly, we're pretty ok over here. Tours are good, got a 2-year-old we love, we're f-ing fine, and I promise she isn't going to shut up now."