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Kid Rock Says Zach Bryan Seems ‘Pretty Douchey’ Despite Never Meeting Him

  • Writer: Michael Carroll
    Michael Carroll
  • 2 days ago
  • 2 min read

Kid Rock had plenty to say about a recent list criticizing some of country music’s biggest names, but Zach Bryan was the one artist he wasn’t exactly rushing to defend.


The outspoken singer responded after the Dallas Observer published an article naming the “10 Biggest Douchebags in Country Music,” a list that included Kid Rock, Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Gavin Adcock and several other artists.


Kid Rock’s main issue with the article was not necessarily his own inclusion. Instead, he accused the publication of closely mirroring a similarly titled Phoenix New Times story published more than a decade ago.


Kid Rock wears a black cowboy hat and brown vest while speaking into a microphone Zach Bryan Drama
Photo by Anadolu via Getty Images

But while addressing the artists included on the newer list, Kid Rock made it clear that he had no issue with most of them.


Zach Bryan was apparently the exception.


“Zach Bryan is the exception; he actually seems pretty douchey to me. But then again, I don’t know him,” Kid Rock wrote, according to Whiskey Riff.


That final sentence is an important distinction. Kid Rock acknowledged that he does not personally know Bryan, framing the comment as his perception of the singer rather than an assessment based on any private interaction between the two.


Still, Bryan and Kid Rock have crossed paths publicly before.


Zach Bryan performs onstage with an acoustic guitar and sings into a microphone during a live concert.
Photo by Taylor Hill/ Getty Images

Earlier this year, Bryan criticized Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” which featured Kid Rock and aired as alternative programming during Super Bowl LX.


Bryan mocked the event on social media and later called the decision to stage a competing halftime show “embarrassing as hell” and “the most cringe s--- on the planet.”


The comments were aimed more broadly at the alternative halftime show than at a personal dispute with Kid Rock, but Bryan also singled out Kid Rock in social posts surrounding the event.


It wasn’t their only public disagreement.


Bryan also reacted negatively to a post about Kid Rock’s congressional testimony regarding ticketing practices and competition involving Ticketmaster and Live Nation earlier this year.

None of that necessarily means Kid Rock’s latest comment was a direct response to Bryan’s previous criticism. Kid Rock did not connect the two when making his remarks. But it does mean the comment isn’t landing between two artists who have never publicly mentioned one another.


They may not know each other personally, but Bryan and Kid Rock have now found themselves on opposite sides of multiple conversations in 2026.


And considering neither artist is particularly known for keeping his opinions to himself, Kid Rock’s latest comment could add another chapter to one of country music’s more unexpected feuds.

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