Maren Morris Apologizes for Homophobia in Country Music During ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ [Watch]
Maren Morris was a guest judge on Friday night's (Jan. 13) episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, offering her input as the 15 remaining competitors vied to make it through to the next round of the show.
But she wasn't just there to give her feedback on the drag queens' looks, outfits and acting skills: As an ambassador from country music, Morris also took some time to address homophobia within the genre. The star sat down with the show's contestants during a backstage segment called RPDR: Untucked, and apologized for any hate they feel from her fellow country performers.
"Coming from country music and its relationship with LGBTQ + members, I just wanna say I'm sorry, and I love you guys for making me feel like a brave voice in country music," Morris said.
As the show contestants responded with sentiments of empathy and support, Morris joked that she was going to leave before things got too emotional. "[Thank you guys for] inspiring me. I'm gonna cry. I need to go," she concluded.
Morris is among the country genre's most vocal members in support of LGBTQ+ causes. In 2022, she became embroiled in a social media feud with Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany Aldean, after Brittany posted some transphobic comments in an Instagram reel. The back-and-forth between the two women escalated, and both Aldean and Morris were inspired by it to put out t-shirt designs to raise money for the cause of their choice -- Operation Light Shine for Aldean, and the Trans Lifeline and the GLAAD Transgender Media Program for Morris. Sale for Morris' tee raked in $100,000 for the trans organizations in just one day, and during her recent performance at Brandi Carlile's Girls Just Wanna Weekend, the singer got the chance to see many of her fans rocking the tee.
Friday night's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race centered around the contestants' answers to the challenge of imagining the queer afterlife, and creating an infomercial for it. The episode's country connection wasn't limited to Morris' presence: One queen offered an impressive Dolly Parton impression during a skit that cast Parton as the God of the afterlife.
Season 15 of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on Jan. 6 on MTV. As always, the show features 16 drag queens vying for a top prize. This season, the cash prize is higher than ever before, sitting at $200,000.
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