No, Luke Bryan did not remove videos from CMT in support of Jason Aldean | Fact check

Nate Trela, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Luke Bryan pulled his videos from CMT in support of Jason Aldean

A July 20 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims a country musician is retaliating against a TV network for refusing to air another country musician's video.

“Luke Bryan pulls his videos from CMT over Jason Aldean debacle: ‘Folks, it’s time for the Bud Light treatment,’” reads the post.

The post was shared more than 6,000 times in a day. Similar posts can also be found on Facebook.

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Our rating: False

The claim originated on a satirical website. A spokesperson for Paramount Media Networks, which owns CMT, said it is false.

Satirical claim about Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' spreads online

The claim revolves around the music video for Aldean’s song, “Try That in a Small Town,” which he released July 14 and CMT pulled off the air days later. While some fans and other artists have argued over whether the video should have been pulled, no musicians have asked the network to stop airing their own videos.

“This claim is completely false – Luke Bryan nor any other artist have pulled their videos from CMT,” Ali Marszalkowski, a spokesperson for Paramount Media Networks, which owns CMT, told USA TODAY in an email.

CMT stopped playing the music video in response to criticism that the song's lyrics glorified gun violence and lynching. Scenes in the video were shot at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, which was the site of a 1927 lynching and a 1946 race riot. Aldean, who survived a mass shooting at a music festival while he performed in 2017, responded to the criticism with a lengthy statement denying the song encouraged violence.

JUne 11, 2023: Luke Bryan performs on stage during day four of CMA Fest 2023 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
JUne 11, 2023: Luke Bryan performs on stage during day four of CMA Fest 2023 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

The Facebook post links to an article from Uplifting Today, a website that publishes both satire and aggregated content. The Facebook post does not label the content as satire, but the article contains a disclaimer in small print at the bottom of the story that states some of the site’s content is fabricated.

“Uplifting Today produces news satire and parody for global publication," reads part of the disclaimer. "Some of the content contained within this website and on accompanying social media accounts, however similar to real events, is fictitious and will also include this disclaimer."

Fact check: Claim Jason Aldean replacing Garth Brooks as the CMA awards host is stolen satire

A similar claim is made in an article from the Dunning-Kruger Times, another satirical site that also labels its content as fabricated.

The Facebook post is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where stories written as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled.

Bryan’s publicist did not respond to a request for comment, but the singer and Aldean have known each other for about 15 years. They have business ventures together and Bryan gave a shoutout to Aldean during a July 22 concert in California.

USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared similar claims for comment but did not immediately receive a response. WD Americans Online could not be reached.

PolitiFact and the Associated Press also debunked this claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Country singer Luke Bryan's videos remain on CMT | Fact check