Fact Check

Did George Strait Say Garth Brooks Is ‘Not One of Us’?

“He should apply for President of Bud Light,” Strait allegedly said about Brooks.

Published Dec 4, 2023

 (Screenshot via Facebook)
Image Via Screenshot via Facebook
Claim:
Country singer George Strait said Garth Brooks is “not one of us,” and that, “His act was boring and outdated years ago, so he called people names to stay relevent. Does anyone else laugh when he does the line-dancing thing on stage all by himself?”

In October 2023, The Dunning-Kruger Times, a site that is part of the America’s Last Line of Defense (ALLOD) network of websites and social media accounts, published an article titled, “George Strait Breaks His Silence on Garth Brooks: 'He’s Not One of Us'.”  The article claimed that country singer Strait, who has rarely made his political views known, was critical of Brooks’ supposedly “liberal stance on everything.”

The article claimed:

That subject was Garth Brooks. Brooks, who has been in the news since calling his own fans a-holes, was off of George Strait’s radar until early this morning when Strait broke his silence and confirmed what everyone already knew.

“He’s not one of us,” said Strait, “His act was boring and outdated years ago, so he called people names to stay relevent. Does anyone else laugh when he does the line-dancing thing on stage all by himself?”

Strait says the country world can very well do without Garth Brooks and his liberal stance on everything. “He should apply for President of Bud Light.”

The end of the article, however, claimed that Strait's comment was “probably not true.”

We sent our own ALLOD Correspondent Jack Bowman to chat with Strait in person since the whole thing seemed a bit suspect. Jack was pleased to report that while the story is probably not true, lots of people hope and pray that it is.

The above article originates from a website that is satirical in nature. The website’s About Us section states:

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. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you’re still having an issue with that satire thing.

The website's creators describe its readers as, "'Taters' [who] are the conservative fans of America’s Last Line of Defense. They are fragile, frightened, mostly older caucasian Americans. They believe nearly anything. While we go out of our way to educate them that not everything they agree with is true, they are still old, typically ignorant, and again — very afraid of everything."

The article was posted on Facebook on Oct. 29, 2023, and many comments assumed that it was true, with posts like, “Right you are George Strait!”

Brooks faced criticism from conservatives in the summer of 2023 over his decision to continue selling Bud Light at his new bar. Conservatives had been boycotting the beer because of a Bud Light marketing campaign that featured transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

We've fact-checked numerous satirical claims about Brooks from Dunning-Kruger Times, including one about him supposedly being booed offstage at the "123rd Annual Texas County Jamboree,” one falsely claiming Carrie Underwood canceled her shows with Brooks, and one falsely claiming Brooks canceled his new bar's grand opening.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Sources

“About Us.” Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com, https://dunning-kruger-times.com/about-us/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

Emery, David. “No, Garth Brooks Wasn’t Booed Off Stage at Texas Country Jamboree.” Snopes, 25 June 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/garth-brooks-booed-off-stage-satire/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

“George Strait Breaks His Silence on Garth Brooks: ‘He’s Not One of Us.’” Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com, 17 Sept. 2023, https://dunning-kruger-times.com/george-strait-breaks-his-silence-on-garth-brooks-hes-not-one-of-us/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

Ibrahim, Nur. “Did Carrie Underwood Cancel Shows with Garth Brooks?” Snopes, 16 Nov. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/carrie-underwood-garth-brooks/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. “Did Garth Brooks Cancel His Vegas Residency?” Snopes, 11 July 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/garth-brooks-las-vegas-canceled/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

Liles, Jordan. “Did Garth Brooks Cancel His Bar’s Grand Opening After Bud Light Controversy?” Snopes, 16 June 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/garth-brooks-cancels-bar-grand-opening/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.

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