Clearing things up.
During Wednesdays 58th annual CMA Awards show, Cody Johnson’s producer found himself in hot water after making an awkward joke about “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer, Shaboozey, during his brief acceptance speech for CoJo’s “Leather” winning Album of the Year.
After Cody thanked his fans, Trent Willmon stood in front of the mic (and millions watching at home), and uttered, “I got to tell you, this is for this cowboy who’s been kicking Shaboozey for a lot of years.” Since that moment, Willmon’s comment sections on social media have been filled with angry Shabbozey fans accusing him of taking a cheap shot at his counterpart, with some even implying there was a racial undertone since Shaboozey is African-American.
Shaboozey himself has stayed relatively quiet on the situation, other than posting a tweet seemingly making a joke out of the comment less than an hour after the award show ended:
Ain’t nobody kicking me! pic.twitter.com/KLiMpBazBk
— Shaboozey (@ShaboozeysJeans) November 21, 2024
And as of yesterday, the country singer/producer took to social media to clarify his comment, and even congratulated Shaboozey on “A Bar Song” recently breaking Morgan Wallen’s record to become the longest running #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this decade:
“Ok… what I meant to express in my overly-shocked and excited state was that I am very proud of @codyjohnson. He has worked his BOOTY off the last 15 years putting out and performing great music and it’s not an overnight success. I was so proud he’s finally getting recognized!
And shout out to Shaboozey for your response to my fumble and having a great sense of humor, congrats on that 17-Week #1 Song!”
Many country singers and fans expressed their support for Willmon on the post, with The Voice alumni, Emily Ann Roberts, praising him for his “heart of gold.”
And of course, more comments rolled in accusing the 51 year-old country connoisseur of being prejudice, with one user saying “You can hide all the comments you want, Trent. Your racism is noted.”
Until Wednesday night, Trent’s reputation has been nothing but positive, with many in the business who have worked alongside him praising him for his professionalism and kindness. To me, it just felt like an awkward joke that fell extremely flat. If anything, you can hammer the guy for being humorless and tone deaf, or for maybe even taking a cheap shot at Shaboozey out of left field, but you better come with more evidence before making an accusation against someone THAT impactful.
Either way, maybe Willmon should stick to standing behind the soundboard or condenser mic, and NOT attempting to crack jokes on stage. Watch the video for yourself if you missed it here: