The saga continues between Maren Morris and Jason Aldean‘s wife, Brittany: In fact, they’ve now each launched a T-shirt that nods to their feud, and both will benefit charities of their choosing.
Morris debuted her tee on her social channels on Friday (Sept. 2): A black shirt that reads “Maren Morris: Lunatic Country Music Person,” along with the phone number for the Peer Support & Crisis Hotline for trans youth, which is 877-565-8860.
If you haven’t been following the events that transpired between Morris and Aldean over the past week, the shirt’s message may need some context. The phrase “Lunatic Country Music Person” was used to describe Morris during Brittany Aldean’s interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, which aired this week.
Carlson described the Grammy-winning country singer as a “lunatic” during the segment, and Morris screen-grabbed a shot of a photo of her that appeared on air, identifying her as a “Lunatic Country Music Person.”
Morris’ face appeared during the interview due to a heated social media exchange that began last Friday (Aug. 26), after Aldean posted an Instagram Reel that showed her before and after applying makeup, along with a caption that read: “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.”
Cassadee Pope was the first to take issue with that caption as transphobic, and on Twitter, she pointed out that as a celebrity with a beauty brand, Aldean should be able to see the positives in putting forth LGBTQ+-inclusive messaging. Morris (who is Pope’s friend and former tourmate) hopped into the comments section, dubbing Aldean “Insurrection Barbie” and describing her as a “scumbag human.”
Things escalated from there, with stars like RaeLynn, Brandi Carlile and Candace Owens jumping in to voice their support for one side or the other. Meanwhile, Aldean embraced the Barbie nickname and quickly dropped a line of Barbie-inspired shirts that read “Don’t Tread on Our Kids.”
When she announced her new shirt design, Aldean said the proceeds would benefit Operation Light Shine, a Nashville-based organization which combats human trafficking and child exploitation.
The feud didn’t stop there. On Thursday (Sept. 1), the GreenRoom — Jason Aldean’s partnered publicity firm of 17 years — announced their decision to drop the country superstar from their roster. The company didn’t name his wife’s comments as the reason for their decision to part ways; instead, owner Tyne Parrish said in a statement that music has always been the GreenRoom’s focus, and that they were no longer the right firm to represent Aldean.
That same night, the singer’s wife made her appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight. In the segment, she stressed that she was “advocating for children,” and added, “I think when you’re older, if you choose to make those decisions, by all means. But children are too young, not mature enough to make those decisions.”
Current medical guidelines do not generally recommend gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people under the age of 18. According to a 2014 study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), puberty suppression by means of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs may be an accepted treatment of gender dysphoria in adolescent youth (see GLAAD’s website for more resources).
When she announced her new T-shirt, Morris said that proceeds would be divided between the Trans Lifeline and the GLAAD Transgender Media Program. Just two hours after the new merch item dropped, it had already raised $63,000, according to a tweet from the singer.
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