Shaboozey responds to viral Megan Maroney side-eye | Music News

Shaboozey has addressed the viral clip from Monday’s 2025 American Music Awards, where viewers thought he gave co-presenter Megan Moroney a side-eye after she credited the Carter household with having “basically invented country music.”

The two singers took the stage to current the award for Favorite Country Duo or Group. Shaboozey opened by saying: “Country music has been an important part of AMA history. The very first year of this show, the award for Favorite Male Country Artist went to the great Charley Pride.” Pride, who died in 2020, is taken into account the first Black famous person in nation music.”

Moroney followed with: “That same year, Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson. And this award went to the Carter family, who basically invented country music.” At that point, Shaboozey appeared to glance at her sideways and scrunch his face before smiling and continuing with the segment.

The moment quickly went viral on social media, prompting speculation and debate over both the facial expression and Moroney’s remark.

On Tuesday, Shaboozey posted a statement on X. “When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased…” he wrote.

While the Carter Family, including A.P. Carter, Sara Carter, and Maybelle Carter, are recognized as the “first family of country music,” historians observe that their sound was deeply formed by Black musician Lesley Riddle, who collaborated carefully with A.P. and taught Maybelle guitar techniques.

Fans reacted to his latest assertion, with one defending Maroney: “after she learn the teleprompter that she was instructed to learn* this was not her own declare, and she was doing the identical he was; their job. i’m glad he’s doing what he can to educate people and not erase historical past, because it deserves to be acknowledged. but she is receiving so a lot hate for one thing that is solely not her fault.”

A challenger replied: “Something she and her workforce might resolve by merely placing out a assertion stating she disagrees — but they received’t because they know it is going to alienate racist followers of hers.”

“She is still accountable for what she says and is more than succesful of releasing a assertion saying she doesn’t stand by it. I’ve seen Shaboozey get more hate when he did completely nothing fallacious right here. He is allowed to facet eye the erasure of black historical past,” another said, defending Shaboozey.

“Crazy how Shaboozey is getting the hate and handled like he’s in the fallacious for having a response at all,” stated one other.