Country singer Zach Bryan said Tuesday that the apparent anti-ICE message in his new song “Bad News” has been “misconstrued” on social media, and that the vehement red wave of backlash he’s received for it has “not only embarrassed but kind of scared” him.
“I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space,” Bryan wrote. “I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some great-than-thou a–hole, just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else.”
The Grammy winner shared a snippet of the song on his Instagram page four days ago with the caption, “The fading of the red, white and blue.” While the song reflects holistically on the widening political divide in America, one lyric in particular from the clip stirred anger within a vocal set of his fans (and at the very least the majority of Fox News).
“ICE is gonna come, bust down your door / Try to build a house no one builds no more,” he sings. “But I’ve got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone.”
The song’s refrain reflects on the nation’s great divides: “The middlе fingers rising and it won’t stop showing / I’ve got some bad news / The fading of the red, white and blue.”
Many interpret the line as being critical of the Trump administration’s ongoing ICE raids around the country. But in his formal response to the backlash on Instagram Tuesday — shared to his stories with the caption, “pls fuckn read this” — the singer said that the full song “hits at both sides of the aisle” and that the response just proves “how devastatingly divided we all are.”
Read the statement in full below:
“I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media,” Bryan wrote. “This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.”
He continued: “I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politican or some great-than-thou a–hole, just as 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much s–t it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared. Left-wing or right-wing, we’re all one bird and American. To be clear, I’m on neither of these radical sides. To all those disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in, just know I’m trying my best too and we all say things that are misconstrued sometimes.”
Bryan concluded his message simply: “Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!!!”
As Bryan himself pointed out, the song has been the subject of heated debate on social media, with many saying that he can kiss his career in country music goodbye. Fox News’ “Outnumbered” hosts followed that line of thinking Tuesday, with Kayleigh McEnany saying, “I think he chose the wrong genre of music, because in country music we are full of patriotism, pride, love for law enforcement, ICE, all of our law enforcement.”
Others, however, celebrated the country star for showing “moral and artistic courage” in a time when President Trump continues testing the limits of American democracy. And while it’s not the first time Bryan has spoken his mind on political matters, memorably standing up for trans rights in 2023, fans of his noted the last time a prominent country outfit was “canceled” and came back even stronger. (See: President George W. Bush vs. The Chicks.)
The last time country music fans boycotted an artist, that artist went on to win 5 Grammys, including Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year. So, I guess Congratulations Zach Bryan on your upcoming sweep! pic.twitter.com/kxz7TmgwC9
— chaysonjayson (@ChaysonJayson) October 6, 2025
As it stands, Bryan is still one of the biggest stars of country music with crossover appeal beyond Trump supporters. On Sept. 27, he broke the record for the the largest ticketed concert in U.S. history with 112,408 fans selling out Michigan Stadium.
