Ryan Hurd showed support for his wife, country star Maren Morris, in her feud with Brittany Aldean, wife of Jason Aldean. On Aug. 23, Aldean posted an allegedly transphobic remark on Instagram, which The Voice winner Cassadee Pope quickly called out. Morris agreed with Pope, then Hurd said he was “proud” of Morris for calling out Aldean.
The feud began when Aldean posted a video of herself putting makeup on, set to a Beyonce song. “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,” she wrote on Aug. 23.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging,” Pope tweeted on Aug. 26. “But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.”
Morris voiced support for Pope with a sarcastic response. “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie,” Morris wrote. Although she deleted that tweet, she has responded to fans who agree with the stance Pope and Morris have taken. “If it’s confusing to you, it’s because you think we’re ‘fighting’ over politics. We’re not. This isn’t political,” Morris wrote to one person. “We’re calling someone out for being transphobic and thinking it’s hilarious. It isn’t.”
On Friday, Aldean responded to Pope’s criticism. “Advocating for the genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love and calling it ‘gender-affirming care,’ is one of the worst evils,” Aldean said in an Instagram Story post, reports Entertainment Tonight. “The other day [son] Memphis wanted to be a dinosaur, and tomorrow [daughter] Navy will want to be a cat. They’re children.” Aldean went on to claim that some parents “want to be accepted by society so badly, that they’re willing to make life-altering decisions for their children who aren’t old enough to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions… Thankful my parents allowed me to go through my tomboy phase without changing my gender. Until then, leave children alone!”
Jason showed support for his wife by simply writing, “My Barbie” on Aldean’s Instagram page. Hurd shared a full statement on the situation.
“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 on Saturday. “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.”
Although Aldean claims young children are transitioning, the Washington Post notes that doctors do not recommend gender-affirming medications for transitioning before puberty. Children may start a social transition, but medical guidelines do not recommend genital gender-affirming surgeries before the age of 18.
