Maren Morris Used A Tucker Carlson Jab To Raise $100K For Trans Rights

Maren Morris is turning an insult into activism. After a chyron on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight labeled the Grammy winner as a “lunatic country music person” amid her feud with Brittany Aldean over transgender rights on Sept. 1, she clapped back by raising money for the cause. The next day, she began selling T-shirts emblazoned with her name, the conservative network’s dig, as well the Trans Lifeline phone number, splitting proceeds between the crisis hotline and GLAAD's Transgender Media Program.

Within two hours, Morris said she’d already raised $63,000, writing “Y’all are insane (or lunatic)” on her Instagram stories. As of early Sept. 3, that number had soared to over $100,000, according to the singer.

The drama between Morris and fellow country artist Jason Aldean’s wife stemmed from Brittany comparing her childhood “tomboy phase” to that of someone transitioning during a beauty tutorial. “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” the blogger captioned an Aug. 23 Instagram video. After The Voice alum Cassadee Pope tweeted, in part, “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging,” Morris entered the chat.

Replying to her friend’s tweet, the “The Middle” singer also weighed in on Brittany’s comments, writing, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.” (Brittany previously shared baseless claims about the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol on social media.)

After some back and forth, the online war of words soon spilled onto Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show when Brittany appeared as a guest on the Sept. 1 episode to defend her transphobic comments. As Aldean’s wife — who had doubled down in calling gender-affirming care for those under 18 “one of the worst evils” — lamented that conservatives “have a very hard time having an opinion,” Carlson, who’d called Morris a “lunatic” and “fake country singer,” took another jab at the star.

“I hope [Maren] leaves country music immediately for the viciousness of her attacking you,” he said as a photo of Morris flashed on the screen, along with the “lunatic country music person” label.

Morris, for her part, seemed to take Carlson’s digs in stride, posting a Sept. 2 screenshot of the broadcast on Twitter along with the “New Profile Pic” hashtag. She’d already garnered support from Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness when other celebrities, including Chrissy Teigen, also jumped in her corner. While Teigen replied, “omgahhh the highest honor,” Pope added that the shot was “a framer for sure.”

Given the high suicide rate among transgender youth, the money her T-shirts raised will do more good than some new wall art, though.

If you or someone you know is seeking help for LGBTQ+ mental health or safety concerns, call The Trevor Project’s 24/7 Lifeline at 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386). You can also reach out for instant message or text message support via TrevorChat and TrevorText, respectively. For additional resources for trans people, call the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860. In an emergency, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911.