Shaboozey’s Got ‘Nothing But Respect’ for Megan Moroney After AMAs Controversy

Shaboozey's viral side-eye at the 2025 American Music Awards on Monday night (May 26) was a response to something Megan Moroney said, but it wasn't an indication of how he feels about Moroney herself.

The "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" singer clarified that point on Instagram, and he also asked his supporters to stop aiming "hateful comments" toward his co-presenter.

"My reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney!" Shaboozey writes in a comment on Moroney's most recent Instagram post.

"She's an incredibly talented, hard-working artist who's doing amazing things for country music and I've got nothing but respect for her," he goes on to say. "I've seen some hateful comments directed at her today, and that's not what this moment was about."

"Let's not twist the message — she is amazing and someone who represents the country community in the highest light!" Shaboozey concludes.

What Happened Between Shaboozey and Megan Moroney at the 2025 AMAs?

Moroney and Shaboozey were onstage at the awards show to present the trophy for Favorite Country Duo or Group.

In the lead-up to announcing the winner (Dan + Shay), Moroney said some lines about great country groups throughout history, including the Carter Family, who she said "basically invented country music."

Read More: Did Shaboozey Just Throw Shade at the Carter Family During the AMAs?

Shaboozey didn't verbally object, but he did furrow his brow, look skeptically at Moroney and then side-eye to the crowd before giving an awkward chuckle and leaning in to deliver his part of the speech.

Fans surmised from the moment that Shaboozey was reacting to some historical genre-wide white-washing. The Carter Family were indeed a prominent and influential vocal group who introduced a larger audience to some of the most powerful standards of the country music songbook. But much of their music was taken from other uncredited performers and songwriters, especially Black artists.

Specifically, many fans on TikTok highlighted the story of Lesley Riddle, a musician who worked with the Carter Family beginning in the 1920s. His unsung contributions to the Carter Family were central to their musical output. The group recorded several songs that Riddle either wrote or transmitted during "song-collecting" trips he and A.P. Carter undertook as they traveled around Appalachia and the South to study the folk music of the region.

What Else Has Shaboozey Said About That Viral AMAs Side-Eye?

After the show, Shaboozey took to social media with a few thoughts that, while not directly aimed at the AMAs, definitely seemed to address his onstage reaction.

"When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased," he said in one X post.

A follow-up post was more diplomatic. "The real history of country music is people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike," he added.

Why Isn't Shaboozey Upset With Megan Moroney Over Her Comments on the AMAs Stage?

Short answer: Moroney probably isn't the person who decided to say that the Carter Family "basically invented country music" on the awards show stage.

Like the other presenters that night, Moroney and Shaboozey were reading off a teleprompter. So Moroney was likely just reading the lines off the screen, and they weren't necessarily indicative of her personal feelings on the subject.

Of course, it's always possible it was an ad-lib. After the awards show first broadcast, one TikTok user pointed out that the two could have rehearsed their part before the live show, "so either she added that in or he was prepared to side-eye."

But they were just presenters, not performers, so it's also possible that Moroney and Shaboozey hadn't rehearsed beforehand, at least not with the teleprompter.

Moroney has yet to issue any official comment on the AMAs moment.