CMT Faces Boycott Calls After Pulling Jason Aldean Song

Jason Aldean performs at the 2023 ACM Lifting Lives Topgolf Tee-Off And Rock On Fundraiser at Topgolf in The Colony, Texas, on May 10, 2023. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Some social media users, including country music fans, have called for a boycott of Country Music Television (CMT) after the channel pulled singer Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.”

CMT aired the video for a few days before it removed it last week, sparking criticism that the channel was engaging in censorship. Some critics of Mr. Aldean’s song claimed that it used footage of a courthouse where a black teenager was allegedly lynched about 100 years ago.

Mr. Aldean’s song makes reference to the right to self-defense and to own firearms. The singer has said it doesn’t glorify violence.

Amid the backlash, Mr. Aldean wrote in a Twitter post: “In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.”

The country music singer, who is a supporter of former President Donald Trump, also said that the lyrics refer to his childhood.

“We took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief,” he wrote. “Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to—that’s what this song is about.”

Meanwhile, the production company behind Mr. Aldean’s video said in a statement to news outlets that it used a “popular filming location outside of Nashville,” referring to the courthouse. That location has been used in a number of other productions and shows.

“Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false,” the company stated, adding that Mr. Aldean didn’t choose that filming location.

“I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that,” Mr. Aldean also said in a recent concert appearance. “Here’s one thing I feel: I feel everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true. What I am is a proud American ... I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this [expletive] started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that.”

On July 18, CMT confirmed to Forbes that it had pulled the music video. The Epoch Times contacted CMT for comment on July 23 but received none by press time.

“CMT just murdered their own brand and for what? Because a bunch of leftist [sic] who don’t even listen to country music complained about Jason Aldean’s music video? Let’s give CMT the Target and Disney treatment. Hold the line!” influencer Charlie Kirk wrote in a Twitter post.

Rep. Ronnie Jackson (R-Texas) wrote in a post: “CMT has gone WOKE! Do they know who their viewers are? Guess not!! I’ll tell you this ... I’ll NEVER watch CMT ever again. BOYCOTT CMT!!”

But some, including singer Sheryl Crow, suggested that Mr. Aldean is promoting violence, responding to a post that said Mr. Aldean was present during the 2017 Las Vegas massacre that left dozens of country music concert-goers dead.

“I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence. There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting,” she wrote. “This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”