Cassadee Pope Tells ‘Problematic’ Jason Aldean to ‘Self-Reflect’ Amid ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Drama
Nearly one year after Cassadee Pope called out Brittany Aldean for her transphobic comments, she’s taking aim at her husband, Jason Aldean.
“I just feel like if you’ve been called out THIS MANY TIMES about being problematic, maybe it’s time to self-reflect? But what do I know ???♀?,” the Voice champ, 33, tweeted on Thursday, July 20.
Jason, 46, has recently been under fire for the lyrics in his single “Try That in a Small Town.”
“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough,” he croons in one verse. “Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t.”
The song, which also took seemingly aim at gun control legislation and racial equality, quickly drew ire from social media users and other musicians.
“@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,” Sheryl Crow, who hails from Missouri, tweeted on Tuesday, July 18. “There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”
Several hours later on Tuesday, Jason responded to the criticism about his songwriting.
“In the past 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous,” he wrote via Twitter. “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it —and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage — and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music — this one goes too far.”
The country singer further noted that “Try That In A Small Town” was meant to represent the “feeling of a community” that he experiences growing up in Georgia “where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.”
Pope previously sparked a war of words with the Aldeans in August 2022 over Brittany’s Instagram caption about outgrowing her childhood “tomboy phase.”
“You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging,” Pope tweeted at the time. “But instead, here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.”
Brittany, 35, responded to the claims made by Pope and Maren Morris — who also chimed in to condemn her beliefs — via her Instagram Story at the time. (Jason stood by his wife's side throughout the online drama.)
“I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their innocence. The other day, Memphis wanted to be a dinosaur and tomorrow Navy will want to be a cat, they’re children,” Brittany wrote that August, referring to her two children with Jason. “Some parents want to be accepted by society so badly that they’re willing to make life-altering decisions for their children who aren’t old enough to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions. Love is protecting your child until they are mature enough as an adult to make their own life decisions.”
