Shaboozey Defends 'Incredibly Talented, Hard Working' Megan Moroney After Viral Side-Eye Moment at 2025 AMAs

Shaboozey has thing but respect for Megan Moroney.

The "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" vocalist defended Moroney, 27, successful nan comments of her latest Instagram postm connected Tuesday, May 27, aft he gave her side-eye during nan 2025 American Music Awards and nan infinitesimal went viral.

"Just want to clear thing up: my guidance astatine nan AMAs had thing to do pinch Megan Moroney!" Shaboozey, 30, wrote. "She’s an incredibly talented, hard-working creator who’s doing astonishing things for state music, and I’ve sewage thing but respect for her."

He continued: "I’ve seen immoderate hateful comments directed astatine her today, and that’s not what this infinitesimal was about. Let’s not twist nan connection — she is astonishing and personification who represented nan state organization successful nan highest light."

The PEOPLE App is now disposable successful nan Apple App Store! Download it now for nan astir binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!

The societal media emotion comes aft Shaboozey's viral side-eye moment during nan 2025 AMAs erstwhile he and Moroney presented nan Favorite Country Duo aliases Group award astatine nan Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Reading nan teleprompter, Shaboozey acknowledged nan precocious Charley Pride, who won the Favorite Male Country Artist grant successful nan AMA's first ceremony, and was a trailblazer for Black state musicians.

Moroney's statement was: "That aforesaid year, Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson. And this grant went to nan Carter family, who fundamentally invented state music." This prompted a skeptical guidance from Shaboozey, who glanced astatine Moroney and concisely laughed earlier continuing.

The adjacent morning, he addressed nan viral infinitesimal connected X while besides referring to Black artists' power connected state music. "When you uncover nan existent history of state music, you find a communicative truthful powerful that it cannot beryllium erased…" Shaboozey wrote.

"The existent history of state euphony is astir group coming together contempt their differences, and embracing and celebrating nan things that make america alike."

Check retired each of PEOPLE's afloat AMAs sum here.

Though nan Carter family (made up of  A. P. Carter, Sara Dougherty Carter and Maybelle Addington Carter) whitethorn beryllium considered nan first family of state music, they were influenced by Lesley Riddle.

The Black guitarist helped A.P. Carter "gather opus material" almost a period ago, and done nan years, Black musicians continued to style and power nan state euphony genre that fans cognize today.