Brittany Aldean and Maren Morris Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock; Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Drama can be transformed into something positive Maren MorrisWith the T-shirt that she released, she raised a lot of money for charity Tucker Carlson called her a “lunatic country music person.”
GLAAD announced on Thursday, September 8, that the “Tall Guys” songstress, 32, has collected more than $150,000 in funds for their Transgender Media Program as well as the Trans Lifeline since the cheeky shirt launched last week.
“By publicly speaking out to support trans youth, country music superstar Maren Morris is connecting with an audience who may be less familiar with the transgender community and the current wave of attacks on their rights,” Anthony Allen RamosGLAAD vice-president of communications and talent said in a statement. “Not only is she using her platform and influence to help further the conversation and likely change hearts and minds, she is raising crucial funds which will go directly into GLAAD and Trans Lifeline’s work to support the trans community at a time when it’s needed more than ever.”
The drama started when Morris called out Brittany Aldean (née Kerr) — the wife of country star Jason Aldean — for her comments about trans children. “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 beauty blogger, 34, wrote via Instagram last month.
The “Dirt Road Anthem” singer, 45, responded to his wife’s post in the comments section, writing: “Lmao!! I’m glad they didn’t too, cause you and I wouldn’t have worked out 😂.”
A few days later, Cassadee Pope responded to Brittany’s post via Twitter. “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging,” the Voice winner, 33, wrote, referencing Brittany’s line of hair extensions. “But instead, here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.”
At that point, Morris weighed in with her own tweet, writing that it was “so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human.” The Grammy winner added that Brittany should “sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie,” referring to the January 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol following the presidential election.
The YouTuber then doubled down on her original comments in an Instagram Story, making the controversial argument that parents shouldn’t allow their kids to transition until they’re legal adults. “I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their innocence,” she wrote. “The other day, [my son]Memphis wanted to become a dinosaur. [my daughter] Navy will want to be a cat, they’re children.”
Later, the North Carolina appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight to defend herself. During the September 1 episode, Carlson, 53, refused to mention Morris by name, calling her “some kind of fake country music singer” and identifying her as a “lunatic country music person” in a chyron.
Following the episode, the “Circles Around This Town” singer poked fun at the Fox host, joking that she was making the “lunatic” screenshot her new profile photo. The Texas native announced a merchdrop that would benefit transgender youth.
“*ATTN LUNATICS* New shirt in the shop,” she wrote via Instagram on September 2. “All proceeds will be split between @translifeline & the @glaad Transgender Media Program 🌈.” The shirt, which reads “Maren Morris: Lunatic Country Music Person,” also includes the phone number for the Trans Lifeline crisis hotline.
