Zach Bryan Deletes X Account After Alcohol-Fueled Tweet About Taylor Swift And Kanye West
By Favour Adegoke on September 19, 2024 at 11:45 AM EDT
Zach Bryan has deleted his X account following backlash over his tweet about fellow artists Kanye West and Taylor Swift.
The country singer explained that the post, in which he implied that West was better than Swift, was fueled by alcohol, and he didn't mean to upset anyone.
However, Taylor Swift's huge fan base on X didn't let it slide, as they made several comments criticizing Zach Bryan.
Zach Bryan Deactivates His X Account
The country music sensation deleted his X account after the heat he got for making a tweet comparing Kanye West and Taylor Swift.
In an X post on Wednesday, Bryan tweeted "Eagles> Chiefs," seemingly a swipe at Swift's partner, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, before adding "Kanye > Taylor who's with me."
The tweet didn't sit well with Swifties, who expressed their feelings to him in droves. This prompted Bryan to quickly clarify his tweet in a follow-up post, explaining that he was drunk when he made the controversial remark.
"Guys I love Taylor," he wrote, per The Daily Beast. "Was listening to [The Tortured Poets Department] last night and 'Thank You Aimee' came on and I drunkenly tweeted that about Kanye. If anyone took it serious please know I love both artists a lot and think we're in a really beautiful time of music."
Shortly after, he deleted his X account to take a break from the heat.
Zach Bryan Said He Wasn't Coming For Swift
zach bryan’s wrote us a whole essay 😭 pic.twitter.com/TmgEHiuopW
— tia⸆⸉🎀 (@youarein1ove2) September 19, 2024
The "Pink Skies" singer then took to his Instagram Stories to further explain that he meant no harm with his post and that he "wasn't coming for Taylor."
Alongside a post of Swift's "Fortnight" featuring Post Malone, he wrote, "For the records guys I wasn't coming for Taylor the other night. I was drunkenly comparing two records and it came out wrong."
He noted that he was aware of "a lot of stuff that clouds around" West but said that he was "purely speaking musically."
Bryan then said that he loves Swift and hopes that he someday gets to "explain this to her," adding that X gets him "in trouble too much" and "It's best I stay off it."
"I'm sorry to any Taylor fans I pissed off or let down," Bryan added. "Love you guys and I'm trying my best!"
He also made similar efforts to pacify Swift's fans by posting cover art of her songs "The Albatross" and "Castles Crumbling," in which Swift featured Hayley Williams.
Zach Bryan Reveals He Has Been Struggling
In another post on his IG stories, the "American Heartbreak" crooner opened up about his struggles, explaining that things haven't really been going his way.
"This year has been an awful lot on me in personal ways that no one knows and I've been trying to cope and balance too many things at once," he wrote.
Bryan added that he was "going to take a breather from tweeting stupid stuff," focus on finishing his tour, and "ground myself somehow in the midst of all this."
He ended the post by stating that he feels "very, very blessed" before thanking his fans.
Swifties React To The Country Singer's Apology
Some of Swift's fans took to X to share their comments about sheathing their swords following Bryan's apology.
"He posted castles crumbling; we can let it slide," a fan wrote in reply to a comment announcing Bryan's IG Stories explanations.
"The albatross? FORGIVEN," one fan penned.
An adamant fan didn't have his explanation, though, writing, "Here's the thing…. He could have said ANYONE's album is greater than Taylor's. But he picked Kanye? Cmon now. Everyone, including Zack, knows their history. He was being a d-ck and knew damn well what he was doing. No one will convince me otherwise."
Another fan said, "He is trying to save face…. The fact that it wasn't just Taylor and Kayne, but also the chiefs…. Shows me it was a MAGA attack on Taylor and Travis - they're the only people that hate them both for no reason other than not being MAGA."
Taylor Swift And Kanye West Have A Long-Standing Feud
Bryan's tweet was met with severe backlash due to the West and Swift's long-running feud, which dates back to the 2009 MTV VMAs. At the time, the rapper infamously interrupted her acceptance speech to praise singer Beyoncé, who lost to Swift in the Best Female Video category.
Since then, the pair have maintained a fractured relationship, with West heating things up with a provocative line in his 2016 song "Famous," rapping, "I made that b-tch famous" - a sly reference to his encounter with Swift seven years prior.
In the video, West could be seen in a scene lying in bed next to dummies of several topless celebrities, including those of his then-wife, Kardashian, as well as Swift.
The "Blank Space" hitmaker later claimed that she had no idea West would use the line, "I made that b-tch famous," even though there was speculation that she had approved the lyrics.