Luke Bryan Defends Bringing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis On Stage at a Concert — ‘This Is All I’m Saying About This’
On Oct. 29, country singer Luke Bryan made headlines when he brought Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on stage during a concert in Jacksonville, Florida. Due to DeSantis’ divisive reputation, some fans of Bryan called out the singer for his actions, leading Bryan to issue a statement about the concert.
Luke Bryan released a statement about Ron DeSantis
Earlier in October, Hurricane Ian heavily impacted Florida citizens, and DeSantis was criticized by some for his response to the natural disaster.
During his concert, Bryan announced that proceeds from his concerts in Florida would be donated to the Florida Disaster Fund and invited DeSantis on stage with him.
After this move was criticized by fans, Bryan released a statement on social media. In the statement, Bryan acknowledged that DeSantis is a “polarizing figure” and clarified that DeSantis is the one who asked to come on stage.
“I typically don’t respond to stuff when I’m getting run down on a social platform but here’s the deal. I understand Governor Desantis is a very polarizing figure,” Bryan wrote in the statement. “But I grew up in a country where if a governor ask you if they can come and raise awareness to help victims of a natural disaster you help.”
Luke Bryan doubled down on bringing the governor on stage
Typically, Bryan has appeared apolitical when it comes to sharing his political position. After bringing the governor on stage, Bryan tried to fall back on his previous apolitical stance.
“I’ve generally stayed out of politics throughout my career. I knew people would chatter about this but for me the more important piece was if I am going to come back there a few weeks after a large portion of people have been affected by a natural disaster in a state where people have been good to me this felt right,” Bryan wrote.
He added, “This is all I’m saying about this.”
Luke Bryan can no longer appear apolitical
As much as Bryan wants, the days of him appearing like an apolitical artist are over. On Nov. 8, the 2022 U.S. midterm elections will be held nationwide.
DeSantis is currently running for reelection against Charlie Crist. While DeSantis is expected to be re-elected, his appearance at Bryan’s concert occurred during the closing weeks of campaigning.
In addition to accepting Bryan’s donation to Florida Disaster Fund, DeSantis appeared to throw campaign hats into the audience, effectively making Bryan’s concert a campaign stop.
After facing backlash for associating with DeSantis, Bryan’s statement tried to remove the singer from the politics surrounding the situation in an attempt to appease all factions of fans.
Based on reactions, country music fans and the public are divided over Bryan’s actions and the statement that followed. For some, it was unnecessary to even acknowledge, while for others it was not enough to make up for the controversy.
This shows that once a celebrity enters the political sphere, whether inadvertent or not, it’s impossible to go back to appearing apolitical due to how divisive U.S. politics are nowadays.
