Country star Zach Bryan apologizes after ‘drunken’ Taylor Swift and Kanye West tweet

Zach Bryan might want to take a break from The Great American Bar Scene after getting into hot water for posting a “drunk” tweet in which he appeared to favor Kanye West over Taylor Swift.

Bryan, 28 — who deactivated his account on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday — drew outrage after posting: “Eagles > Chiefs Kanye > Taylor who’s with me.”

The tweet, shared Tuesday night, takes aim at Swift, 34, in two parts. First, it references her boyfriend, NFL tight end Travis Kelce, also 34, saying the Philadelphia Eagles are better than the Kansas City Chiefs. Then it criticizes her music and references her fraught history with West, 47.

The post was immediately met with outrage, with the Pink Skies artist apologizing on Instagram on September 19, claiming he had compared the two artists “drunk” and that it “came across wrong.”

“Just to be clear, guys, I didn’t come for Taylor Swift,” Bryan, who is from Oklahoma, began his four-part apology, which he posted to his Instagram Stories, along with a screenshot of Taylor’s song Fortnight with Post Malone.

“I know there’s a lot of stuff going on around Ye and I was speaking purely musically,” he continued. “I love Taylor’s music and I pray that you guys know that I’m human and I tweet stupid stuff a lot.”

Bryan then said that he decided to delete his X account because it was causing him “too much trouble.”

“I would say I’d better stay away from it,” he shared. “I’m sorry to any Taylor fans I may have upset or disappointed. I love you guys and I’m doing my best!”

In the next slide, which features the Grammy Award-winning song The Albatross, Bryan admits he’s having a hard time at the moment and that he’s “projecting a little bit.”

“Honestly, it just came across as rude and insensitive to Taylor,” he admitted.

‘I have so much respect for her as a musician that the last thing I want is for people to think that I don’t appreciate and value what she’s done for music.

‘Don’t drink and tweet. Don’t drink and tweet!!’

Bryan’s apology didn’t stop there, as the next slide featured Swift’s song Castles Crumbling, with Hayley Williams playing in the background, who described the Bad Blood singer as a “force of nature.”

“I never want people to think that I have any malice or meanness towards anyone, that’s why I’m saying all of this,” he said.

Bryan got into trouble Tuesday night after he posted a drunken tweet in which he appeared to favor Kanye West over Taylor Swift

In his apology, Bryan said, “I know there’s a lot of confusion surrounding Ye and I was speaking purely about the music.”

The Pink Skies hitmaker posted a four-part apology, which he shared on his Instagram Story on Thursday

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The 28-year-old singer posted on Tuesday night: ‘Eagles > Chiefs Kanye > Taylor who’s with me’

In the hitmaker’s latest Instagram post, he admitted that 2024 has been tough in “personal ways that no one knows about,” adding that he’s been “trying to process and balance too many things at once.”

“I’m going to take a break from tweeting stupid things, finish my tour and somehow ground myself in the midst of all this,” he concluded.

“I feel very, very blessed every day. Not taking it for granted and holding on to it has been so important to me.

“Okay, I just had to say this: you guys are the best and I’ll see you at Bourbon and Beyond.”

This isn’t the first time the country singer has gotten into trouble for his social media posts.

Last month, he deactivated his Instagram after a heated tirade about parenthood.

Bryan began posting his songs on YouTube in 2017 and his debut album DeAnn (dedicated to and named after his late mother) was released in 2019.

His second album Elisabeth and EP Quiet, Heavy Dreams were released in 2020, before he signed with Warner Music in 2021.

His major label debut was 2022’s American Heartbreak, which became a mainstream hit thanks to its hit single “Something In the Orange.”

The song debuted at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, eventually peaking at #10. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

In August 2023, he released his self-titled album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It included his first No. 1 single, I Remember Everything featuring Kacey Musgraves.

His fifth album, The Great American Bar Scene, was released in July and features guest artists such as John Mayer and Bruce Springsteen.