Sometimes America’s sweetheart turns sour. of Morgan Wallen for The Chicks, the biggest name in country music has been in the middle of some major controversies.
Natalie Maines, March Maguire and Emily Strayer found himself in hot water in the early 2000s after sharing his personal politics on the public stage. While performing at the pool, the trio – formerly known as the Dixie Chicks – expressed their disappointment in the then President. George W. Bush when he was ready to send troops to the Middle East.
“You know, we’re ashamed of the President of the United States from Texas,” Maines told a crowd in 2003.
The comment spread like wildfire, and the 13-time Grammy winner soon faced repercussions in the industry. Record sales slowed and the songs were blacklisted by leading radio stations in the genre. Although he initially apologized, Maines told TIME magazine in 2006 that he had no regrets.
“I apologize for disrespecting the office of the President,” he said. “But I don’t feel that way anymore. I don’t feel like I owe anything.”
After years away from the spotlight, the “Everybody Knows” artists are making a comeback in 2020, dropping “Dixie” from their name amid Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. When asked about their long hiatus – and whether it would have happened without that 2003 controversy – Maines told The Guardian The group has “no complaints” about their trajectory.
“It’s not in our nature to think like that,” the singer said in July 2020. But our ego cups are too full. We are not grasping and desperate.
Most recently, Wallen experienced a ban of his own. In February 2021, footage emerged of the “7 Summers” crooner using the N-word, prompting the label to remove him from its roster. Despite not being played on some radio stations, Wallen’s record rose to the top of the charts amid the backlash.
The “Cover Me Up” artist announced in July 2021 that he spent 30 days in a treatment facility after the scandal broke. “I didn’t mean to [the word] in a derogatory way,” he said Good morning America in time. “I don’t think I know about it. I don’t think I sat down and was like, ‘Hey, is this right or is this wrong?’
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Scroll down to see some of the biggest controversies in country music over the years, from cheating scandals to legal battles: