Maren Morris Charles Sykes/Bravo
Reclaiming the joke. After Fox News publicly dissed Maren Morris over her feud with Brittany Aldean (née Kerr), the country superstar is clapping back for a cause.
“*ATTN LUNATICS* New shirt in the shop,” the Texas native, 32, captioned a Friday, September 2, Instagram post, revealing her latest merchandise drop. “All proceeds will be split between @translifeline & the @glaad Transgender Media Program 🌈.”
The shirt, in addition to featuring her name, includes the words “Lunatic Country Music Person,” which refers to how the TV network labeled her during their Thursday, September 1, broadcast. The tee-shirt also lists the phone number of the Trans Lifeline crisis hotline.
“$63K [raised] in 2 hours. Y’all are insane (or lunatics),” Morris tweeted several hours later, adding mind-blown and crying emojis. The drop has since raised more than $100,000 for the nonprofit organizations.
Hours earlier, the 33-year-old boutique owner appeared on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight to address her alleged transphobic social media messages.
Aldean — who shares son Memphis, 4, and daughter Navy, 3, with husband Jason Aldean — made headlines last month after she compared her childhood “tomboy phase” to that of someone transitioning.
“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🤎✌🏼,” the blogger wrote via Instagram on August 23, alongside a beauty tutorial. The “Big Green Tractor” crooner, 45, replied: “Lmao!! I’m glad they didn’t too, cause you and I wouldn’t have worked out 😂.”
While Brittany was supported by her spouse, she faced backlash from Morris, Cassadee Pope and Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness for her message.
“It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie,” the “Middle” singer tweeted on August 26, referring to Brittany’s blonde locks and the January 6 riot at the Capitol following the presidential election.
The YouTube personality — who wed the Georgia native in March 2015 — then clarified her stance, alleging that children were too young to make a “life-altering” decision.
“Advocating for the genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love and calling it ‘gender-affirming care’ is one of the worst evils,” Brittany claimed in an Instagram Story post at the time. “I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their innocence. The other day, Memphis wanted to be a dinosaur and tomorrow Navy will want to be a cat, they’re children.”
She added: “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. Love is protecting your child until they are mature enough as an adult to make their own life decisions.”
As the two women kept going toe-to-toe over their beliefs, Brittany appeared on Tucker Carlson’s eponymous news show on Thursday.
“There’s definitely, you have the other side of that too. And that’s fine. People are entitled to their opinions,” Brittany told Carlson, 53, acknowledging Morris and Pope’s alternative perspective. “But that’s just it. We, as conservatives, have a very hard time having an opinion, especially in society today, in the media, in relationships [and] in the workplace. And it’s very, very sad, but a lot of support within Nashville and just friends and family, for sure.”
The FOX News anchor, for his part, was more antagonistic towards Morris, calling her “some kind of fake country music singer” who went after Brittany.
“I hope [Maren] leaves country music immediately for the viciousness of her attacking you,” Carlson told the North Carolina native, as a photo of Morris flashed on the screen with a “lunatic country music person” label underneath it.
The “Bones” artist — who shares 2-year-old son Hayes with husband Ryan Hurd — clapped back at the diss, tweeting a screenshot alongside the caption, “#Newprofilepic.”
Morris has further made it clear that she intended to stand up for what’s right and call out potentially harmful ideals. “If it’s confusing to you, it’s because you think we’re ‘fighting’ over politics. We’re not. This isn’t political,” she tweeted in August. “We’re calling someone out for being transphobic and thinking it’s hilarious. It isn’t.”
