Jason Aldean Dragged For Charlie Kirk Tribute, Sparks Debate Over His Response To Vegas Shooting

Jason Aldean and his wife, Brittany, are facing renewed backlash online after sharing a heartfelt tribute to the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. While many praised the couple’s show of faith and solidarity, others accused Aldean of showing more public grief for Kirk than for the dozens of victims killed during the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that occurred at his concert. The 48-year-old country star and his 37-year-old wife, a former "American Idol" contestant, posted a black-and-white video on Instagram earlier this week in memory of Kirk, who was shot and killed outside Utah Valley University on September 10. In the clip, Jason Aldean strums a guitar while seated on a counter as Brittany Aldean stands beside him. Together, they sing Luke Bryan’s 2013 ballad about loss, captioning the post simply, “For Charlie."

The video opens with an image of the pair at Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Seen from behind with their arms wrapped around each other, the Aldeans were among nearly 100,000 attendees who gathered to honor the conservative activist.

Brittany later reflected on the service in an Instagram post, calling the experience “overwhelming” but inspiring. “Yesterday we went to Charlie's funeral service in Arizona, and it was vastly different than what I anticipated in the sense that it was just so faith-based,” she wrote. “I knew it was going to be, but everyone was worshiping … everybody. There was just something different in the room.”

Not long after the tribute went live, a viral social media post reignited debate over Aldean’s response to the 2017 Route 91 Harvest music festival shooting in Las Vegas. The mass shooting, carried out by Stephen Paddock as Aldean performed his closing set, left 60 people dead and more than 800 injured.

The post claimed Aldean had “done more in a week” for Kirk than in the eight years since the Las Vegas massacre. Critics argued that the country star has not used his platform to memorialize or advocate for the victims in the same way he publicly honored Kirk. “Jason Aldean has been more vocal about Charlie Kirk than the people who died at his own concert,” one critic wrote, while another accused the singer of being selective with his grief, writing, “It speaks volumes about what he chooses to amplify.”

While critics accuse Jason Aldean of staying silent in the years following the Route 91 Harvest Festival massacre, the singer has recently shared new insight into how the tragedy affected him personally. Nearly eight years later, Aldean reflected on the shooting during a September appearance on the "Armchair Expert" podcast, describing the emotional toll it took on him and his family.

“It was a festival like we’ve done a million times,” Aldean recalled of the night Stephen Paddock opened fire, killing 60 people and injuring more than 800 others. “It was just obviously something that we weren’t prepared for.”

The "Try That in a Small Town" singer admitted his packed schedule left little time to process what had happened. Just days later, he reunited with his family before performing on "Saturday Night Live" to honor the victims. “We finally got out of there the next afternoon, home and you’re just glad to be home, show up, my mom’s crying,” he said. “My oldest daughter was in school, freaking out, thinking that somebody was trying to shoot us, so all the details were still kind of coming out.”

Aldean admitted that the whirlwind left him struggling behind the scenes. “It was months later before I had my breakdown,” he shared, noting that while he honored those impacted by the tragedy publicly, the emotional aftermath lingered long after the spotlight had moved on.

Despite renewed criticism, Jason Aldean did acknowledge the Route 91 Harvest Festival victims in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Just one week later, Aldean and his wife, Brittany, traveled back to Las Vegas to visit survivors and honor those still fighting for their lives.

“Feels surreal being back in Vegas today. Visiting some of the strongest people we have ever met… fighting the toughest battle of them all… for their lives,” Brittany wrote at the time, sharing a photo of the couple standing hand in hand while facing the Mandalay Bay — the hotel where the gunman carried out the massacre.

She added a heartfelt message of gratitude. “You have helped us try to begin to start the healing process by seeing the strength each one of you have," she said. "Thank you for today. We will never forget.”