Do y’all ever watch Trisha Yearwood’s Food Network cooking show? She’s not really a chef, she’s more of a home cook, but I enjoy watching her cook, make cocktails and hang out with her friends. Her husband Garth Brooks appears rarely, but Trisha references him a lot and they definitely seem to have a solid and fun marriage. Well, I didn’t know that Garth and Trisha are opening a bar in Nashville, but that’s happening this summer. Garth was asked about the bar and whether he would serve Bud Light, and he had some great things to say. Just FYI: the bigots, homophobes and transphobes are “boycotting” Bud Light because they’re mad that Bud Light hired trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote the beer. Several bars operated by bigots have removed Bud Light from their menu. Not Garth.
Country superstar Garth Brooks has stated that his new Nashville bar will sell Bud Light, and that the establishment will not tolerate transphobia. Brooks made the revelation during a panel at Billboard Country Live this week. His “Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk” is named after one of his biggest hits, and the venue is scheduled to open in Nashville’s Lower Broadway area this summer. Many country artists have opened bars in the area bearing their names.
“I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another,” Brooks said on the panel. “And yes, we’re going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It’s not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you’re an a–hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.”
Bud Light has been hemorrhaging customers since its ill-fated marketing decision to team with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, offending some conservatives. In Nashville, bars owned by John Rich and Kid Rock no longer serve Bud Light. Fox News Digital found John Rich at his bar on Friday and asked him about the Brooks statement.
“If Garth is serving Bud Light in his bar, that’s fine,” Rich said. “Garth can do that. Garth might find out not many people are going to order it. And at the end of the day, you have to put things in your establishment that people are going to purchase if you’re going to run a successful business. So, he might find that out.”
What’s worse, transphobic bigots boycotting Bud Light, or Bud Light trying to back-pedal on hiring Dylan Mulvaney? Like, I don’t drink alcohol anymore so it’s not like I have a horse in this race, but Bud Light tastes gross, they didn’t take a moral high ground and they’re being boycotted by terrible people. There are no winners in this particular culture war.
All that being said, I love the fact that Garth doesn’t even wade into the dumbf–k controversy. He’s basically putting out a “no a–holes” sign on the door of his bar and I hope LGBTQ peeps feel safe there. Garth has always been a great ally – his late sister was a gay woman, and he was an early supporter of gay marriage, he’s performed at LGBTQ-equality fundraisers, he sang a duet with George Michael and more. Trisha is the same. (Oh, and Garth and Trisha are also Democrats!)
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- ‘Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On’ Biography Celebration at The Bowery Hotel Featuring: Garth Brooks Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 18 Nov 2019 Credit: Julie Shea/Cover Images
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- United States President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden welcome the recipients of the 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honors to a reception at the White House in Washington, DC on Sunday, December 4, 2022. Featuring: Garth Brooks Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 04 Dec 2022 Credit: Chris Kleponis/CNP/startraksphot/Cover Images
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- 58th Academy Of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star Featuring: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood Where: Frisco, Texas, United States When: 11 May 2023 Credit: imageSPACE/Media Punch/INSTARimages
Good, all the more reason to go to his bar.
His comment section on his Twitter account were just sick and hateful. I’m glad Garth is doing Garth. I’m glad it doesn’t bother him.
He’s one of the few country music artists that I like. He’s been woke before the term went public. I’m not a beer drinker myself, but I’d make a beeline for his bar if ever I’m in the area. A no bullcrap bar.
It is getting scary.Down in Florida at two WAWa gas stations there were signs that said Florida doesn’t accept gay.And of course our very loose gun laws in Florida with that sick woman shooting dead this poor lady who was just knocking on her door to discuss her kids.I don’t know when this crap will end
I’ve always been a huge Garth Brooks fan and I’m not really into country music. I’ve been to dozens of concerts over the years and hands down, his concert was the best concert I’ve ever been to. The only other concert that compared was the Rolling Stones at Soldier Field. The thing I always loved about Garth was at the absolute height of his superstar status, he refused to jack up the price of his concert tickets. Madonna’s tickets were selling at a minimum of $150 per ticket and Garth? His tickets were $17.50. ALL tickets were $17.50. He had the lowest ticket prices of any artist at the time and he was the biggest star in music. He always said he refused to raise the prices because he wanted everyone who liked his music to be able to afford to attend his concerts. That made me love him. That, and the fact that his music is great AND his concerts are seriously amazing.
The more I hear about him the more and more I like him. How refreshing (sadly) to have a huge star who is still a decent human being.
I couldn’t agree with you more, both on Garth’s character, and he put on the best concert I have ever been to in my life. There is no way to describe the amount of energy that man exudes on stage, I strongly encourage anyone to see him live.
Elton John is the second best, and he almost gets the nudge because he was sitting down at a piano through his concert. Garth and Elton are truly gifted performers. I’m still in awe, and both were decades ago now.
My husband’s college fraternity booked Garth as the entertainment for their annual fundraiser a year before “Friends In Low Places” hit big, and kind of assumed that he’d cancel such a low-profile gig as he was by then appearing in large venues on tour. He kept the commitment despite his success, and put on a great show (so I hear, we didn’t know each other then!)
I will definitely visit his place if I’m in Nashville. He and Tricia have values I appreciate and they haven’t changed them to pander to the typical country base.
Garth Brooks has lost more money in his couch cushions than John Rich has ever had- so maaaaaaybe John Rich shouldn’t lecture Garth Brooks on success.
The bud light boycott is hateful. Good for him saying it has no place in his bar.
I knew that Garth had a heart for people as a whole and that he supported the queer community because of his sister. He’s always been an ally and I’ve always appreciated him even though he is a registered republican. I had no idea his beloved sister died. May she Rest In Peace and my Garth keep being Garth.
You’re right, he IS a Republican though the article above says that he (and wife) are Democrats. According to Google, he is (and jokes about) a Republican, but did not vote in the last election. He’s a rare bird indeed and I love him.
Good for him. I’m reminded of the Chick FIl-A bullsh*t when bigoted conservatives rushed to stuff their faces with chicken sandwiches to prove how much they hated queer people.
The Dylan Mulvaney thing was online-only sponcon for Instagram. It would have come-and-gone in a month. But they had to go all Streisand Effect on it.
Such a bright light! So different from Jason and Brittney Aldean. She was on the Target bandwagon and continues their conspiracy theory b.s. Wonder what they would do if one of their kids turned out to be gay?
I cannot stand the Aldean’s. They are the worst bigots around and just adore Trump.
We’re in Nashville now on vacation. Saw aldean’s restaurant as we were driving and gave it the 🖕. Same with kid rock’s place. Wish Garth’s was open already.
Garth is a real one and always has been. He wrote We Shall be Free in the early 90s and almost walked out of singing the Super Bowl national anthem when NBC tried to block premiering the video (part of the agreement). He wrote the song in response to the LA riots and the video would piss off the anti-woke brigade even now.
“When we’re free to love anyone we choose,
When this world’s big enough for all different views,
When we all can worship from our own kind of pew,
Then we shall be free.”
He also loves his fans and puts on an amazing concert. Saw him last year and it was hands down one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and I don’t even love country. Held the show while it was severely storming and then did his whole planned set plus encores. We didn’t leave until after midnight!
And julia8524 in case you missed it, DeSantis supporters protested outside the gates of Disney World this weekend and they were proudly waving their Nazi flags. Yeah, it’s delightful to live in Florida. A friend of mine whose son is gay said he is moving to Colorado because he doesn’t feel safe in Florida. This Nazi state of Florida is getting worse and the asshole governor wants to make the whole country like it! Scary.
I don’t drink, but I love Garth, and will order the most expensive mocktail on his menu if I ever find myself in Nashville. He has *always* promoted values regarding fairness, equality, and human and civil rights for all, making him one of the *few* of his country music colleagues to do so. And his music is fire. Hands down one of the greatest to ever.
Also, as academic and author Tressie McMillan Cottom noted on Twitter recently (she and Chris Meloni are the only people I Google to read their Twitter threads because they are great!), “That Chris Gaines was simply ahead of its time, and we need to stop playing in Garth Brooks’ face.”
I like Trisha’s Food Network show, and any recipes of hers that I tried were really good. She seems like good people. Good for her and Garth.
I used to work in the part of Georgia where she grew up. A co-worker was taught by Miss Gwen, Trisha’s mother, in Monticello. He’d still see her about town, see her in church, etc., (Monticello is quite small), and said she was a lovely person. Ditto Trisha whom they’d meet when she came to visit. I can’t remember any discussions about Garth, but I’m sure he visited, too. FYI, Monticello’s courthouse was used in the movie My Cousin Vinnie. Laughed myself silly at the ‘town famous for its mud’, as I had to dig in that mud for work! I knew it well!
I read this story to my boyfriend this weekend and was choked up while doing it.
This is what we’ve come to. Getting emotional when someone does the RIGHT thing. God help us.
My husband and I don’t really drink that much anymore but when this all started he bought a case of Bud Light. Took him awhile to drink it, but when he ran out he bought another.
If Garth is publicly stating “no assholes allowed” it will be interesting to see if the bigots actually stay away. Maybe they’ll boycott his bar and it will be fun place to visit for everyone else.
I love country music – and have always been a Garth fan. Bro country is the worst however. Jason Aldean and his horrid ex mistress wife, however are my least favorite. They even dress their kids in traitorous political shirts. I don’t drink beer, but I’m going to buy a case of bud light just to support them. I cannot stand bigots.
He’s never shouted his beliefs — he knows who listens to country music — but I do respect him because he’s always led by example, and talk is cheap.
He’s also one of the most talented musicians ever. For good or ill, he invented the “pop country” genre; in any case, his songs are bangers. I even love his baffling “Chris Gaines” experiment — those songs were bangers, too.
Similarly, Garth and Kiss doubling up on Hard Luck Woman is awesome.
I love Garth & Trisha! Indiana native here. Garth filmed some shows at Notre Dame (in my backyard) & he and Trish also made a huge donation to our states largest children’s hospital. Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, my son sees some specialists there (lifelong issues, but manageable we’re fortunate). Garth donated a whole “family playroom” to the hospital. It is so nice!!! The whole hospital is amazing, but we discovered the room on our last trip. It made 6 hours of testing scans so much easier on us, we’re able to take my son’s twin and the boys had a blast playing! Tons of activity sets & toys for the littles, but also rentable Lego sets, free crafts, tv Game Center, air hockey, fooseball and more.