Fact Check: Jason Aldean Said Garth Brooks Was 'Absolutely Not Welcome' at Toby Keith's Vigil?

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Getty Images

Claim:

A February 2024 rumor that Jason Aldean said Garth Brooks was not welcome at Toby Keith's candlelight vigil is true.

Rating:

Rating: Labeled Satire
Rating: Labeled Satire

On Feb. 8, 2024, The Dunning-Kruger Times (an offshoot of America's Last Line of Defense) published an article positing that country star Jason Aldean had said that Garth Brooks was not welcome at a candlelight vigil organized in honor of Toby Keith, who passed away on Feb. 5.

While Aldean has enjoyed widespread support from conservative fans for his music video "Try That in a Small Town," Brooks continues to face backlash for serving Bud Light beer at his bar in Nashville when the beer brand was boycotted for working with transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney.

The Dunning-Kruger Times posted the claim on their Facebook, where it received more than 34,000 reactions and 5,700 comments. "I agree. Garth Brooks is all about himself," one of the most reacted-to comments read.

(Image via Facebook account @ALLODRetro)

The article began:

Jason Aldean says Garth Brooks is "Absolutely Not Welcome" at the Candlelight Vigil for Toby Keith

When he heard Toby Keith had passed, Jason Aldean immediately began organizing a candlelight vigil and sing along in his memory.

"The first thing I thought about was honoring Toby," said Aldean, "I couldn't believe it when Brooks called and asked if he could play. He said he didn't know any of Toby's songs but that he's be happy to bust out Achy Breaky Heart in his honor.

Aldean says the request was so bizarre that he thought maybe Garth was trolling him, but alas, he was serious.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The Dunning-Kruger Times describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing.

We've previously debunked other rumors about Aldean and Brooks generated by the Dunning-Kruger Times, such as that Aldean launched his own music channel in November 2023, and that Brooks was kicked out of Keith's tribute show in February 2024.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

 

Sources:

Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ALLODRetro/posts/pfbid05eQ7T87qNBtP14Pz6hNtvEt1Je56C2HwWGpAWiNcSk38PRedEzYeUvwEX7nJ8Jiol. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.

Patriot, Flagg Eagleton-. 'Jason Aldean Says Garth Brooks Is "Absolutely Not Welcome" at the Candlelight Vigil for Toby Keith'. Dunning-Kruger-Times.Com, 9 Feb. 2024, https://dunning-kruger-times.com/jason-aldean-says-garth-brooks-is-absolutely-not-welcome-at-the-candlelight-vigil-for-toby-keith/.