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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Calls Zach Bryan’s New Song “Disrespectful,” Says She Would Rather Listen To Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, Jon Pardi Or John Rich
Not gonna find “Revival” on Kristi Noem’s playlist.
By now I’m sure you heard that last week Zach Bryan teased an unexpectedly political new song called “Bad News,” which criticized the ongoing immigration raids by ICE and bemoaned the “fading of the red white and blue.”
The song starts out pretty typical for a Zach Bryan song:
“Didn’t wake up dead or in jail
Some out of town boys been giving us hell
I got some bad news
I woke up missing you
My friends are all degenerates but they’re all I got
The generational story of dropping the plot
I heard the cops came
Cocky mother******* ain’t they?”
However, once the song gets to its second verse, it dives into the political side of things. Right off the bat, Bryan took aim at the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). And towards the end of the verse, the country star reveals that the “Bad News” he’s singing about is the “fading of the red, white and blue.” He also seems to lament the fact that Bruce Springsteen, who famously rants about Donald Trump at every concert, has lost some fans recently:
“And ICE is gonna come, bust down your door
Try to build a house no one builds no more
But I got a telephone
Kids are all scared and all alone
The Boss stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling
The middle fingers rising and it won’t stop showing
I got some bad news
The fading of the red, white and blue”
As you can imagine, the song has drawn strong reactions from both sides of the political aisle. Many on the left are praising Bryan (although I’m guessing a lot of them don’t know much about him and won’t be such big fans once they dig into his background…), while many on the left have criticized the song as anti-law enforcement and called for boycotts of Zach’s music.
Yesterday, TMZ reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (the agency that oversees ICE) for comment on the new song, and Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs, provided a short, concise clap-back on behalf of the department:
“Stick to ‘Pink Skies.'”
But Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had much more to say on the song.
When asked by reporter Benny Johnson for her thoughts on “Bad News,” Noem didn’t hold back:
“I hope he understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country, to every single individual that has ever stood up and fought for our freedoms. He just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that, that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe.
So Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today. Today that makes me very happy that I never once gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle if you truly believe what that song stands for. But I am going to go out and probably download some Jason Aldean songs, John Rich songs, Jon Pardi, Kid Rock, any of those guys. Those guys know what it means to stand up for freedom. Glad I didn’t waste any money on Zach.”
BREAKING: Secretary Kristi Noem flames country singer Zach Bryan.
I just asked Noem about the new Zach Bryan song attacking ICE. Noem went scorched-earth calling the woke singer “completely disrespectful” to the law enforcement that protect him.
Secretary Noem: "I hope Zach… pic.twitter.com/MPXuVshPnM
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 7, 2025
The controversy surrounding the song has continued to get louder and louder, which finally led the country star to take to his Instagram story last night to share a message:
“Please f***ing read this.”
Zach tries to explain himself and his song “Bad News” a bit further, saying that the track actually celebrates how much he loves the United States of America, and that when fans hear the rest of the song, they’ll understand:
“I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media.
This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.”
The “Pink Skies” singer went on to mention that he served in the U.S. Navy for eight years, and clarified that he wasn’t trying to set himself up on a pedestal with this teaser. Instead, he’s hoping that when the full version of “Bad News is released (he makes it seem as though he’ll still put the song out), it’ll be a unifying song rather than one that divides… like people are painting it out to be:
“I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou a******. Just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much s*** is stirred up make me not only embarrassed, but kind of scared.
Left wing or right wing, we’re all one bird and American. To be clear, I’m on neither of these radical sides. To all these disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in, just know I’m trying my best too, and we can all say things that are misconstrued sometimes. Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!”
He continued:
“The last few months of my life, I’ve been scrutinized by more people than I ever thought possible. I feel like I’ve tried my hardest in so many ways and it’s so hard to see where my bearings even are anymore. Been falling off a cliff while trying to grow wings at the same time.
I am SO proud to have served in a country where we can all speak freely and converse amongst each other without getting doxxed, or accosted on the internet, or worse; the violence and heartbreak we’ve faced in the last few months.
God speed ol’ sons I’m out.”
Now, I don’t think Zach was really as surprised by the controversy as he makes it seem. He turned off the comments on the song when he posted it, so chances are he was expecting the backlash or at least some criticism.
How long before he deactivates his Instagram account altogether? Might be for the best right now.The post DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Calls Zach Bryan’s New Song “Disrespectful,” Says She Would Rather Listen To Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, Jon Pardi Or John Rich first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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