Maren Morris became the first country music singer to win GLAAD’s Excellence in Media award on Saturday night.
During her acceptance speech, the Grammy-winning artist said, “I felt a little badass taking on Tucker Carlson for calling me a lunatic for standing up to transphobia. Maybe I did feel a little cool. But I don’t want to gloat. I would never insult the recently unemployed.”
The crowd applauded and cheered in response. She referred to Carlson as “recently unemployed” due to histermination from Fox News last month.
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As a supporter of the LGBTQ community, she had an argument with the Fox News commentator when he called her a “lunatic” and a “fake country music singer” during an interview with Brittany Aldean in August 2022.
Brittany, the wife of country music singer Jason Aldean, had previously taken to social media to air her thoughts against parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care. She wrote, “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.”
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Morris responded to the comment, saying on Instagram, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”
She raised more than $150,000 by launching a T-shirt line to benefit the Trans Lifeline and GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program. The shirt has her name written with the words “Lunatic Country Music Person.”
Continuing her acceptance speech, Morris encouraged her colleagues in the country music scene to be aware of the “power of inclusivity,” saying her audience is “a sea of diversity.” She then thanked her community and fans for making her feel safe when she felt alone, citing that she first felt acceptance through her queer friends in her junior high school drama class.
