Jason and Brittany Aldean have appeared on the red carpet for the 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards, more than two months after fighting with another country singer Maren Morris about trans rights.
The Aldeans arrived at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday wearing a long silver gown and Jason’s characteristic cowboy hat. Jason is nominated for Musical Event of the Year with Carrie Underwood for their song “If I Didn’t Love You.” Morris, whose album Humble Quest is nominated for Album of the Year, intimated that she would not attend the awards presentation.
“Honestly, I haven’t decided if I’m gonna go. I’m very honored that my record has been nominated. But I don’t know if I feel [at] home there right now,” she admitted at the time. “So many people I love will be in that room, and maybe I’ll make a game-time decision and go. But as of right now, I don’t feel comfortable going.”
The conflict between Brittney and Morris began in August, following Brittney’s alleged transphobic Instagram post. Brittney included a video of her before and after make-up in the post. She titled it, “I’d like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life.”
Fans praised Brittany’s post in the comments area, which rapidly filled up. Lara Trump even added two happy smiles with heart-shaped eyes emojis, to which her husband Jason replied, “Lmao!! I’m glad they didn’t, too, cause you and I wouldn’t have worked out. ?.”
Cassadee Pope, a country singer, then took to her Instagram Story and Twitter to comment on Brittany’s tweet, writing, “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead, here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.”
Morris then tweeted in response to Cassadee’s comment, saying, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”
Aldean then doubled down in a series of Instagram Stories before going on Fox News, where she was referred to as a “lunatic country music person.” Aldean’s appearance on the show came on the same day her husband was dropped from his publicity firm after nearly two decades together.
Morris, for her part, embraced the term “lunatic country music person,” creating t-shirts with the slogan to benefit two trans rights groups. She ended up raising more than $100,000.
Morris then published a photo of a faux Halloween outfit in which she mocked the conflict. The spoof outfit showed a photo of Morris at the microphone wearing a crop top and jeans with the caption “Lunatic Country Music Person.”
The outfit includes a tambourine, inclusive fans, a pickleball paddle, a wig, a dispute with transphobes, and a quip that “tall guy not included.”