Jason Aldean has lost the support of Country Music Television (CMT), with the network confirming to Fox News Digital it has pulled the musician’s “Try That in a Small Town” music video from circulation.
A representative for the network did not provide more context for the decision, but Aldean has received immense backlash from the public, with some suggesting it is a “pro-lynching song” — a narrative Aldean adamantly denies.
In the video, Aldean’s lyrics are sung while news coverage from the 2020 riots illustrates his message. “Cuss out a cop spit in his face / stomp on the flag and light it up,” Aldean sings, along with footage of the described instances.
Aldean’s tune has skyrocketed to success given all the controversy, sitting as iTunes’ No. 1 song at the time of publication.
Jason Aldean was ridiculed online for his song “Try That in a Small Town,” prompting the country star to speak out and defend himself. (Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Several movies and music videos have been filmed at the location. “Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false,” it added.
Throughout the video, Aldean can be seen singing in front of the Maury County Courthouse, which has an American flag hanging from it. The government building can be found in Columbia, Tennessee. It was previously the site of a horrific lynching of Black man Henry Choate, in 1927.
Jason Aldean reminded his followers that he was present at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas where a mass shooter killed 61 individuals. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
“Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false.”
— TackleBox on the location of Jason Aldean’s music video
On Tuesday, Aldean addressed the controversial response to his song.
“As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91 – where so many lost their lives – and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy,” he said in reference to the Nashville school shooting in March that killed six people.
Jason Aldean was defended by his wife Brittany on social media. (Stephen J. Cohen)
“NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart. ‘Try That In A Small Town,’ for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.”
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When the tune was released in May, Aldean said, “To me, this song summarizes the way a lot of people feel about the world right now. It seems like there are bad things happening on a daily basis, and that feels unfamiliar to a lot of us. This song sheds some light on that.”
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Aldean was also defended by his wife Brittany, who shared a photo of the two on the beach with the caption, “Never apologize for speaking the truth.”
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She had earlier shared to her Instagram story a more pointed statement, writing in part, “Media.. it’s the same song and dance. Twist everything you can to fit your repulsive narrative.”