and just like that, it’s #CMAawards season ?✨

To this point the conversation has been one-sided. Continue reading…

Everyone’s taking a side… I’m sure by now you’ve seen the news that Zach Bryan jumped over a barbed wire fence while at Born & Raised Fest in Pryor, Oklahoma, this past weekend to confront Gavin Adcock. I won’t really go into all the details, because I’m sure anyone who cares has seen it by now, but long story short… Gavin called Zach out after Zach aggressively responded to a 14 year old girl on TikTok who complained that he didn’t stop and meet with fans in New York. To be fair, Zach spent time with fans 2 of the 3 nights. But then Gavin sat down for another interview with Rolling Stone, and basically said that he didn’t think that Zach was a very good guy. And thanks to his relationship with Brianna LaPaglia, I think there’s quite a lot of people who would share that sentiment. At Born & Raised, Zach joined Gabriella Rose during her opening set, and even highjacked the duet to call Gavin out from the stage… again, not the best look for Zach. He allegedly saw Gavin through a fence as he was leaving and stopped to confront him, hopping over the fence, before he was grabbed by security and no punches were thrown. Afterwards, Gavin said: “Had a headline show to play. Dude was absolutely wasted. Had to do what was good for the fans. Everybody knows how that woulda ended.” And in another comment on his own post, Gavin confirms that he didn’t want to fight Zach because he didn’t want to go to jail before his own headlining set: “Had a show to play for Oklahoma. Wasn’t going to jail over that psycho.” And he summed it up with the caption on his own TikTok post: “Dude needs help.” Aaron Watson said it best in his reaction video that if a man is jumping three rows of barbed wire, he might be a little crazy. However, based on some more information that Gavin Adcock gave, speaking about the wild scene, it appears that ZB did not jump the fence entirely unprovoked. “Like I already said, I don’t think Zach Bryan’s a very good person. He wasn’t locked out of the festival. He had been there all day with his multiple security guards. He saw me standing between my buses when he got here and saw me walk on my bus when I went to watch the Georgia game. Proceeding to go to other artists and ask them, ‘Where’s Gavin? Where’s Gavin?’ And their guests, and treat them like dogs**t. Flipping them birds and saying just douchebag stuff to them all day. So he had plenty of opportunity through the whole day to do whatever he wanted to do. But decided he was going to wait like an hour before my set while I was standing out there.” But it wasn’t until Zach was outside the fence that he decided to confront Gavin – and Gavin admits that he had some fun with it: “I wasn’t even mad. Didn’t even have a single reason to fight him. After he had already left before my set, I was standing outside. He pulls up in a pickup truck outside the gate and starts giving out threats. So I just decided to stir him up to the point where he jumped over the fence. I don’t think anybody’s scared of Zach Bryan. I’m just an adult and fighting him would have only meant going to jail, missing my set, and falling into a Zach Bryan lawsuit. And we all know he likes to manipulate people with money.” Gavin also seemingly responded to some of the criticism that he wasn’t willing to fight Zach, explaining that he had a headline show to perform and didn’t want to mess it up for the fans in attendance: “No artist that cares about their fans is going to fight right before their set, missing going on and disappointing fans that spent way too much money to be there. And he created this whole “I’m badass jump over the fence” narrative just to try to make himself look bigger or tougher even though he could have just walked on in the gate. He had been in there all day.” He ended by wishing Zach well: “And at the end of the day, I know my decision I made was right. I didn’t take the Zach Bryan bait. And I’ll be praying for him to get better because he sure needs it.” Since the matter, a few artists have chimed in on the situation, like Colby Acuff, who shared the following post to X, noting that he’s embarrassed by the online drama unfolding in the country music industry. Country music is such a joke rn. Wtf happened ? We had it so good. — Colby Acuff (@ColbyAcuff) September 14, 2025 Another artist who is weighing in is the “Using Again” singer Benjamin Tod. Similar to Adcock, Tod is never afraid to voice his opinion and has shared a lot of thoughts about Gavin Adcock as of late. When the drama between Gavin Adcock and Charley Crockett unfolded, Tod was quick to share that he did not appreciate Adcock’s attack on Crockett’s appearance when responding to him. Tod shared he’s all for differing opinions, but not an attack on someone’s character (although I will say, a number of people in the industry have questioned Charley’s origin story and a handful have reached out to Whiskey Riff). “I believe there should be special reverence for the people that carry on the traditional side of country music, like Charley is a veteran in this industry. I don’t feel it appropriate to lambast and name-call someone who has dedicated themselves the way that Charley has. It’s beyond the pale of disrespect. 
It’s not knowing what room you’re in. … Arguing ideas is one thing. I have no issue whatsoever with that… Just lambasting and attacking someone as revered as Charley over a difference of opinion is outrageous. Outrageous. This argument and lashing out is the line, period. Charley is 15 years older than you. He’s been dedicated to the troubadour tradition for two decades. It’s beyond the pale [of disrespect], especially for just giving an opinion about something that you rightfully gave an opinion about. I disagree with it.” Tod finished his thoughts on their drama that the industry needs to stop glorifying arguments like this: “Regardless, we’ve got to stop glorifying aggression and conflict. There are people who have earned authority in this community, and we must hold reverence for them. So, that’s my position. Take it or leave it. Cheers.” In Tod’s initial post about Adcock and Crockett, he shared that he’s had good experiences with Adcock and likes his music, but it appears that tune might have changed. Tod shared a lengthy post going scorched earth on bro country, and more recently, he’s been getting into arguments with Adcock in the comment sections. After the viral video of Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock went viral, Tod laid low for a few days but is now sharing his peace on the situation. Before going off on the situation, Tod announces that he will be taking a social media hiatus until his over of “Outlaw S***” with Shooter Jennings comes out on September 26th. Hell yeah. Tod teased the cover a while back on his Instagram, and fans were fired up over the preview of the song, so it’s stellar to hear that we will get it sooner rather than later. But… back to the matter at hand. In the video, Tod is defending Zach Bryan, noting that he reacted in a very human way, given that Adcock had been slandering his name online and in press interviews. “Just wanted to say, a lot of y’all… softer than baby s*** in this community. It’s a part of basic male accountability to be held responsible for your words. If y’all think Zach’s a psycho and cuckoo, put me in the nut house. ‘Cause that s*** I would have eaten before breakfast back in the day.  You had been talking s*** about this person non-stop, bringing up his name, dragging him through the dirt, then he confronts you face to face. You tell him to jump the fence, you call him a p****, and then it’s supposed to be him who’s the psycho? Because he acts and actually tries to hold you accountable. All you people making excuses for this… pathetic on so many bases. We are continuously rewarding stupidity and idiotic behavior. I’m disgusted with this industry.  And in general, all you ‘my daddy owned a cow’ people, like Gavin, who think that’s some stick to be able to say that you deserve to be in this industry more than other people- I don’t give a s*** what your daddy owned. Unless you own the cattle, unless you maintain the fences and pay the property taxes, shut your mouth. No one cares that your daddy owned a cow. You ain’t tough. Cheers y’all. I’m gonna lay up for a bit.”  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Benjamin Tod (@benjamintodmusic) There are two sides to every argument, and ZB has not had a good light on his name since his very public breakup with internet personality Brianna Chickenfry, and it’s easy to paint him as the villain, given his past alleged offenses. Of course, as Tod points out, Adcock himself started it, and even admitted that he egged Bryan on in the moment. It’s safe to say that both parties are to blame for this kind of nonsense, and at the end of the day, it keeps their names in the headlines, but it doesn’t do anything to advance the country music industry… especially the quality music. We’re in a fantastic era of country music right now, and this kind of stuff is gonna get all the press. Or you know, punch each other in the face, and then sit down and have a few beers together like good ol’ boys used to.The post Benjamin Tod Defends Zach Bryan Jumping The Fence To Fight Gavin Adcock: “It’s Basic Male Accountability To Be Held Responsible For Your Words” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.