Luke Bryan Responds To Accusations That Beyoncé Snub By The CMAs Was ‘Racist’

Fans are calling out the Country Music Association Awards for its history of racism and sexism after musical icon Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter was excluded from this year’s awards.

Now, country singer Luke Bryan, who hosted the CMAs, dismissed claims of Beyoncé being snubbed and declared instead that she needed to show more support for the genre.

Cowboy Carter has been highly praised for its promotion of black country artists, who have historically been overlooked by the genre’s predominantly white audience.

On the Sirius XM show Andy Cohen Live, Bryan spoke with Andy Cohen about fans’ reaction to Beyoncé’s exclusion.

“Obviously, Beyoncé made a country album, and Beyoncé has a lot of fans out there that have her back…and if she doesn’t get something they want, man, they come at you, as fans do,” he said.

Bryan continued, “But where things get a little tricky — if you’re gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us. Beyoncé can do exactly what she wants to. She’s probably the biggest star in music. But come to an award show and high-five us, have fun, and get in the family, too. And I’m not saying she didn’t do that… but country music is a lot about family.”

While the album’s hit song “Texas Hold’ Em” reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs, Beyoncé has been largely dismissed as a country singer by the genre’s fans. 

In the post that revealed the Cowboy Carter cover, Beyonce recounted the inspiration for the album – it stemmed from her reaction to the poor treatment by the audience at an awards show where she was accompanied by female powerhouse country group The Chicks.

“I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” She wrote. “But because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”

Female country artists make up just 11% of country music stations’ airplay, while black country artists and artists of color represent less than 4% of the songs played on the radio.

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