Following the Super Bowl, which saw Turning Point USA host a rival halftime show after the NFL tapped Bad Bunny for its official performance, country star Lee Brice took to Instagram with a short message that quickly drew criticism.
On February 9, Brice shared a clip from the night before, when he debuted a new song during Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” an event promoted by the conservative organization as an alternative to the NFL’s official halftime production. The show was labeled by Turning Point as a patriotic, country-focused response to what it framed as the league’s increasingly political and culturally progressive entertainment choices.
Brice captioned the clip with a grumpy lyric from the unreleased song, writing, “It ain’t easy being country in this country nowadays.” The track is titled “Country Nowadays,” and the nine-word caption immediately became the focus of discussion in the singer’s post comments.
Turning Point USA heavily promoted the alternative halftime show in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, framing it as a celebration of traditional American values.
The organization criticized the NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny, a global pop star who primarily performs in Spanish, arguing that the league was ignoring large portions of its audience. The event featured country music performances and political commentary, and was livestreamed to supporters rather than broadcast on television.
Fans reacted to Brice’s post in the Instagram comments, with many longtime supporters expressing disappointment.
One commenter wrote, “I have always loved your music Brice, but it’s a no for me now. Unfollow.”
“This is really sad to see, Lee,” another said, while someone else urged, “Nobody is asking you not to be country. I love your music. I love Bad Bunny’s music. You are both Americans.”
Another fan wrote, “long time fan but the fact that you participated in an alternative half time show because you don’t speak the same language as the actual half time performer suggests you sir may actually be part of the problem.”
Some responses directly addressed the lyric Brice chose to highlight. One commenter said, “This just gave me chills. Not the good kind. It’s not easy being country in this country? No Lee, it’s not easy being Black or Brown in this country. That’s a wild statement coming from a white man with privilege and celebrity. We have it the easiest. Sadly out of touch with reality and everything Jesus taught.”
Another added, “I was such a huge fan. I didn’t watch the alternative half time show because I’m really disgusted with Donald Trump and the outrageous grift of Turing point USA. It wasn’t needed-it brought nothing to the conversation however bad bunny had all of America on a history lesson about the beauty of diversity.”
Bad Bunny’s official Super Bowl halftime show was widely discussed even before kickoff, with conservative organizations criticizing the NFL’s decision and framing it as exclusionary to English-speaking audiences.
Even President Trump said that he was ‘anti’ Bad Bunny and his halftime performance.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
