CMA Fest 2023: ABC Blasted For Airing Jason Aldean’s Controversial Song

Viewers tuning into ABC to watch the CMA Fest  2023 concert special on Wednesday (July 19) were shocked to see Jason Aldean performing his controversial song “Try That In A Small Town.”

In a pre-taped performance at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, the conservative country star sang the divisive song, which some have criticized as “racist” and “pro-lynching.” This comes after the music video for the track was released on Friday (July 14), which features footage from Black Lives Matter protests as well as Aldean performing in front of a Tennessee courthouse known for its history of lynchings.

While CMA Fest didn’t show any footage from the music video, which was pulled from CMT’s rotation on Monday, some viewers were still surprised to see Aldean performing the song.

“Honestly CMA fest allowing disgusting @Jason_Aldean to still perform is g r o s s,” tweeted one fan.

“Turning off #CMAFEST because Jason Aldeans song “In a Small Town” should not be playing anywhere. You should be ashamed of yourself @abc,” wrote another viewer.

“ABC really felt comfortable airing jason aldean’s performance of ‘try that in a small town….” added another.

Honestly CMA fest allowing disgusting @Jason_Aldean to still perform is g r o s s.

— nikilynn. (@NikiLynn14) July 20, 2023

Turning off #CMAFEST because Jason Aldeans song “In a Small Town” should not be playing anywhere. You should be ashamed of yourself @abc

— brit ⚾️ (@britx94) July 20, 2023

ABC really felt comfortable airing jason aldean’s performance of ‘try that in a small town’ ……

— hayley (@bishopsbeetle) July 20, 2023

Aldean responded to the backlash of his song earlier this week, writing on his Instagram Story, “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.”

“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it — and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage — and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music, this one goes too far,” he continued.

Aldean also brought up his presence at the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, saying, “NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.”

He argued that the song was not about violence or race but the “feeling of a community I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.”

But critics have pointed out how the lyrics appear to incite violence, in addition to the images in the video.

“Got a gun that my grandad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s*** may fly in the city, good luck,” Aldean sings at one point in the song.

Country music icon Sheryl Crow previously called out Aldean, tweeting at him, “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. This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”

.@Jason_Aldean 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.

This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr

— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) July 19, 2023

Despite the backlash, the song is currently No. 1 on iTunes’ Top Songs and Music Video charts, and the music video itself has over 2.5 million views on YouTube.