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Country star Luke Bryan was forced to defend his decision to bring polarizing political figure Ron DeSantis on stage during a show in Jacksonville, after liberals by and large vowed to ‘cancel’ the singer over the unannounced appearance.
The outcry stemmed from a concert held by Bryan on Friday – an event held to raise money for Hurricane Ian relief efforts for the embattled state.
During the performance, DeSantis, currently up for re-election for governor, joined the American Idol judge on stage as the singer revealed plans to donate proceeds to the politician’s fund for victims of the storm.
The surprise appearance saw the Republican met with cheers as he took the stage – sentiments that were not shared, however, by the masses online, who were quick to criticize Bryan for, 46, associating with the governor.
The outcry was so pronounced, that the ‘Country On’ crooner took to social media on Sunday to issue a statement directed toward the hordes of Twitter users who swore off the singer for welcoming a man they claim promotes anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion sentiments.
Some went as far as promising to boycott the upcoming CMA Awards, which Bryan is set to co-host, while others simply called for his cancellation. Others declared they would no longer watch American Idol, where Bryan serves as a judge.
Upon noticing the outrage, the musician took to Twitter to address the backlash, telling his nearly 10million followers ‘I typically don’t respond to stuff when I’m getting run down on a social platform,’ but pressed forward with a response.
In it, Bryan defended the controversial concert appearance, saying his only intention was to help storm victims, including the families of the 132 confirmed dead as a result of the historic storm.
DeSantis, a staunch conservative widely known – and sometimes panned – for his anti-woke policies, joked and threw hats into the crowd as he joined Bryan, who judges for American Idol
The outcry was so pronounced, that the ‘Country On’ crooner took to social media on Sunday to issue a statement directed toward the hordes of Twitter users who swore of the singer for welcoming a politician they claim pushes anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion policies
‘Here’s the deal,’ Bryan wrote. ‘I understand Governor DeSantis is a very polarizing figure. I grew up in a country where if a governor asks you if they can come and raise awareness to help victims of a natural disaster you help.’
He would go to note, ‘I’ve generally stayed out of politics throughout my career.’ before explaining the importance of donating to Floridians affected by the recent hurricane, citing how good they have been to him over the course of his career.
‘I knew people would chatter about this,’ Bryan wrote, ‘but for me the more important piece was [if] I am going to come back there a few weeks after a large portion of people have been affected by a natural disaster in a state where people have been good to me this felt right.’
The American Idol judge continued, ‘Raise awareness, have a little fun between the GA and FL college fans before the game and do what I love on stage.
The Georgia native concluded his statement with another neutral assertion, seemingly in an attempt to move past the controversy.
‘This is all I am saying about this. I’ll be outdoors with my boys,’ Bryan wrote, eventually adding, ‘Enjoy your Sunday. Love y’all #GoDawgs.’
The singer would then include information on how to donate to DeSantis’ Florida Disaster Fund, which has already garnered more than $50million, including a generous donation from Bryan himself.
Video from Friday’s concert shows fans’ surprise as Bryan welcomed DeSantis, 44, to the stage, before the pair began to speak to the crowd about the deadly storm and the Sunshine State’s recovery efforts.
Country singer Luke Bryan after he brought out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a concert in Jacksonville on Friday – an event held to raise money for hurricane relief efforts for the state
The surprise appearance saw the Republican governor showered with cheers as he took the stage – sentiments that were not shared by the woke masses online
The country music superstar had been forced to postpone three scheduled stops in the Sunshine State due to Ian, which made landfall last month in Southwest Florida and has since left several parts of the state utterly unrecognizable.
After DeSantis took the stage, joking with Bryan and tossing out hats to the crowd, the singer revealed that he would donate all proceeds from an upcoming, rescheduled show in Estero to the fund, as the city struggles to bounce back from the damage wrought to it by the then Category 4 storm.
‘Because of the hurricane they had to use the venue that I was performing in as a shelter,’ Bryan told the crowd as an excited DeSantis stood aside him.
‘Well, we’ve been going back and forth,’ Bryan continues, adding, ‘We didn’t know if it was too soon to play or not but the area of Estero said “get your ass to Estero.”
‘So, we’re doing a concert,’ the singer then shared from the stage. ‘What we’re going to do is give a large portion of the proceeds in Estero, Florida… to everybody that’s bought tickets, kept the ticket, and spending the money.
The songster proudly declared: ‘I’m donating that money to the great state of Florida.’
DeSantis would then also address the crowd, touting his home state’s ability to band together and persevere through the crisis.
‘The state of Florida had to deal with the major hurricane last month and it’s not easy to deal with, it’s hurt a lot of people,’ the politician remarked to the boisterous crowd during the no-nonsense guest spot.
‘I can tell you this, show me any other state that can rebuild bridges in three days. I don’t think you can find that.’
Video from the appearance showed the crowd greeting DeSantis, who is up for reelection in November and has hinted at a presidential run in 2024.
The clip shows DeSantis and Bryan then shaking hands and embracing, with the GOP governor at one point encouraging concertgoers to vote, prompting fervent cheers and chants of ‘USA’ from the crowd.
DeSantis would then thank Bryan for his generosity in helping with recovery efforts, citing how the singer had already contributed his own money to the Florida Disaster Fund, to which the country star said he would give more.
Bryan has previously said that all the money earned from the Jacksonville show as well as all other upcoming shows will be donated to the fund to help the victims of the hurricane.
While well-received by locals, liberals across the country were outraged by DeSantis’ presence at the show – with many citing the politico’s signing of the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ that barred schools from teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to kids under 10 earlier this year.
The event saw DeSantis and Bryan shake hands and even embrace, in what appeared to be a wholesome and even charitable spot
‘Luke Bryan just got crossed off the playlist,’ one user sniped after re-sharing a now-viral clip of the country crooner coming out to the uproarious applause, which the concertgoer who presumably recorded the clip remarked was ‘deafening.’
‘So Luke Bryan admits he hates women, LGBTQ people and immigrants,’ another added in a similar scathing post, referencing the politico’s polarizing policies.
Others made it clear they were swearing off the songster’s music altogether because of the cameo, which seemingly took the internet by storm.
More than 2.6 million Florida homes and businesses were left without electricity amid six-foot floodwaters and pelting, 155 mph winds, with most of the homes and businesses in 12 counties without power, and many ripped from their foundation
‘I am so dismayed that you had DeSantis on stage with you,’ one such user remarked amid the storm of backlash that followed.
‘He embodies what is wrong with humanity; he pulls stunts that are racist and he is truly an evil man with no soul,’ the poster went on, not citing any instances to support their contentious claims.
‘I can no longer listen to your music in good conscious,’ the user went on to charge, before adding: ‘You are a huge disappointment.’
Another, curter user, meanwhile, proclaimed: ‘Luke Bryan can f@ck all the way off.’
A likeminded poster similarly remarked: ‘Sad and seriously disappointing. F**k you Luke Bryan.’
Other posts echoed similar criticisms, with nearly all indicating that the users were by and large swearing off the extremely successful singer, who has sat at the judge’s table at Idol for the past six years.
Many indicated that a potential boycott could be on the horizon – despite Bryan, 46, never previously disclosing whether he supports DeSantis’ political stances on issues such as abortion and gender identity.
While well-received by locals, liberals across the country were not as happy – with many seemingly citing DeSantis signing of so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ that barred schools from teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to kids under 10
Many indicated that a potential boycott could be on the horizon – despite Bryan, 46, never previously disclosing whether he supports DeSantis’ policies
So far, roughly a month after Ian made landfall, DeSantis and his Florida Disaster Fund have successfully raised millions in rebuilding efforts.
The federal government, meanwhile, has also heeded DeSantis’ call to help residents of his state, with the US Department of Labor allocating $ 30 million in a National Dislocated Worker Grant for Floridians left without work because of the storm.
Officials are still assessing the damage wrought by the storm, which made landfall along the Gulf Coast before sweeping across the middle and upper regions of the state.
Fort Myers Beach, a Gulf Coast town that bore the brunt of the storm, was hit particularly hard, so much so that State Senator Marco Rubio earlier this month declared that the now unrecognizable city ‘no longer exists.’
Homes have been left leveled and ships swept onto land in feet of overflowed floodwater – and at least 81 confirmed dead, many from the small city.
Other notable locales devastated by the storm included Naples and Orlando, which have all since struggled to bounce back in the wake of Ian.
DeSantis, however, has been credited with uniting the state’s several stricken counties in the recovery effort, garnering aid from Washington thanks to a combination of persistence and staunch leadership.
DeSantis became the subject of liberal ire back in March when he signed into effect a parental rights bill that bans teachers from giving classroom instruction on ‘sexual orientation’ or ‘gender identity’ in kindergarten through third grade.
The guidance, officially titled The Parental Rights in Education bill, allows teachers who breach its regulations to be sued by parents.
At the time of its signing, DeSantis praised lawmakers’ for helping him pass the bill.
The scale of destruction has since left the parts of the state unrecognizable -such as this portion of still devastated Fort Myers pictured earlier this month
The impacts of Ian, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane but dissipated after passing over the central part of the state and then the Atlantic, has left officials scrambling to address infrastructure damage and deaths
‘Part of the reason why we fought the fight with parents’ rights in education is because there’s a movement to inject these things like gender ideology in elementary schools, even,’ he said.
‘My view is our schools need to be teaching these kids to read and write and add and subtract and do the things (that are) supposed to be done in school. Injecting these agendas into it is wrong.’
DeSantis went on to add: ‘I think our state, in Florida, we need to be a family-friendly state. We need to be a good state for people to be able to raise a family, get a high-quality education, have a lot of opportunities without having some political agenda shoved down their throats.’
However, the bill was quickly met with backlash, sparking battles with predominantly progressive entities such as Disney – which publicly panned the guidance after being pressured by liberals across the country – and even the president himself.
DeSantis, however, has been credited with uniting the state’s several stricken counties in the recovery effort, garnering aid from Washington thanks to a combination of persistence and staunch leadership
Democrats have condemned the bill since its inception. After DeSantis signed the measure into law, many took to Twitter to voice their concerns over how the legislation will affect LGBTQ youth
The signing of the bill also saw DeSantis become the target of the ire of Hollywood, with comedians Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes telling the Oscars audience shortly after the bill was passed that they could expect not only a great night but also ‘a gay night’ – mockingly repeating the word ‘gay’ during the national broadcast.
President Biden even branded the guidance as ‘hateful’ earlier this year.
At the time, DeSantis hit back at the critics, saying: ‘They don’t want to admit that they support a lot of the things that we’re providing protections against.’
The politician went on to accuse the left and liberal elite of ‘sexualizing’ school-aged kids to serve a political agenda.
‘For example, they support sexualizing kids in kindergarten,’ DeSantis said of the scrutiny the bill was facing as it pushed its way through Congress.
‘They support injecting woke gender ideology into second-grade classrooms,’ he went on, adding, ‘what they’re doing with these slogans and these narratives is they are trying to camouflage their true intentions.’
Other similar woke offensives, like seeking to ban schools from forcing students to attend drag shows in his state, have seen the governor become increasingly chastised by progressive detractors who for the most part have been unaffected by the DeSantis’ policies, with the bulk of them not living in the Sunshine State.
DeSantis has subsequently surfaced as one of the leading choices for the Republican Party for the next White House run – much to the chagrin of his top competitor, former President Donald Trump.
Earlier this week, Trump’s camp announced plans for an election week event in Miami for Sen. Rubio, noticeably not including DeSantis in those plans.
A Trump spokesperson has since said that the Florida governor is not attending – leading to rumors of tensions between the two camps.
Trump is the only person to outperform the governor in the 2024 poll and has also demonstrated a desire for a third presidential run.
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