Phony Garth Brooks Article Fools Texas Governor Greg Abbott
The governor of Texas fell for a self-described parody website's article about Garth Brooks getting booed off the stage at the "Texas Country Jamboree."
The editorial at the Dunning-Kruger Times includes quotes from Toby Keith (reportedly at the show) and Nashville mayor Art Tubolls, plus a claim that Brooks once called his fans "a--holes." It all happened at the Barron Cattle Empire farm in Hambriston, Texas. Except, it didn't:
- There is no town in Texas called Hambriston and there is no Texas Country Jamboree.
- The mayor of Nashville is Democrat John Cooper.
- Toby Keith hasn't played a concert in nearly two years as he continues to recover from a cancer battle.
- The "About Us" section at the website explains: "Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined."
Forbes was among the first to notice Governor Greg Abbott's error. The tweet has since been deleted.
Related: 30+ Country Songs That Name Check Bud Light
Brooks was likely targeted by the website after letting everyone know his Nashville bar will serve Bud Light. There are actually four articles about him at the site, including a satire piece about him playing a half-empty arena in Jostenberg, Ill. and another about the Nashville City Council voting 4-3 to deny him a liquor license. Another article is about Bud Light's sales decline.
The website's name is another clue that all may not be real on the page. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is (per the Decision Lab) "when a person’s lack of knowledge and skills in a certain area cause them to overestimate their own competence."
"Go woke. Go broke," Abbott says.
Officially, the only shows Brooks is playing in 2023 are at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.