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Zach Bryan, the rising country star with four Grammy nominations under his belt, found himself in hot water with both Taylor Swift fans and Kansas City Chiefs supporters after a late-night post on X (formerly known as Twitter). In his controversial tweet, Bryan seemingly took shots at Swift and the city of Kansas City, sparking immediate backlash. The uproar led Bryan to not only delete the tweet but also shut down his entire X account, followed by a quick apology.
So what did Zach Bryan tweet?
On Tuesday night, Bryan posted a bold tweet claiming two things: that the Philadelphia Eagles are better than the Kansas City Chiefs and Kanye West is better than Taylor Swift. This comment rubbed many the wrong way, especially Swift’s passionate fanbase. To them, it looked like Bryan was throwing shade at both Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. His tweet also brought up some old drama involving Swift and West—specifically, the infamous 2009 MTV Video Music Awards incident where West interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech, and his 2016 song “Famous,” where he referred to her in a derogatory way.
After facing immediate backlash, Bryan quickly deleted the post and his X account. But before things could get more out of hand, he took to Instagram to clear the air. He posted a lengthy apology, explaining that he had been drinking and was making a clumsy comparison between Swift and West’s music. He emphasized that it was never his intention to insult Swift.
Bryan wrote, “For the record guys, I wasn’t coming after Taylor the other night.” He even shared a screenshot of a Swift song, “Fortnight,” with Post Malone, to show his respect for her music. He admitted, “I was drunkenly comparing two records and it came out wrong.” Bryan further explained that while Kanye West’s controversies are widely known, he was only speaking about their music, not the drama. “I love Taylor’s music and pray you guys know I’m human and tweet stupid things often,” he added.
He acknowledged that Twitter has gotten him into trouble before, so he vowed to stay off the platform for a while. “I’m sorry to any Taylor fans I pissed off or let down. Love you guys and I’m trying my best!” Bryan concluded.
Along with his apology, Bryan posted another Swift song, “The Albatross,” and hinted at personal struggles, admitting he was “projecting a little.” He reassured everyone, “I respect her so much as a musician. The last thing I want is people thinking I don’t appreciate and love what she has done for music.”
His final advice? “Don’t drink and tweet. Don’t drink and tweet!!”