Beyoncé dropped her new country song Texas Hold 'Em on February 11 during the Super Bowl, but it seems not everybody felt enthusiastic about Queen Bey dipping her toes into the country music pool. Actor John Schneider recently compared her dive into the genre to a dog marking its territory.
The Dukes of Hazzard star made the analogy during an interview with conservative network One America News after host Alison Steinberg discussed how Beyoncé’s fans pushed to get Texas Hold ’Em played on a country music radio station in Oklahoma.
Highlights
- Actor and singer John Schneider received backlash after comparing Beyoncé's country music venture to a dog marking its territory.
- His comments came after an Oklahoma country radio station initially refused to play her new country song, 'Texas Hold 'Em."
- Fans defended Beyoncé, highlighting her Texas roots, and deemed John's analogy "racist."
“The lefties in the entertainment industry just won't leave any area alone, right? They just have to seize control over every aspect, don't they?” the host asked Schneider.
Image credits: johnschneider
He replied: “They've got to make their mark, just like a dog in a dog walk park. You know, every dog has to mark every tree, right? So that's what's going on here.
“But people coming into country music — because I know a little something about country music — they seem to think that it’s easy or it’s simple, or, somehow, it’s not as sophisticated as the music they sing otherwise.”
John also referenced Shania Twain, who he said had the opposite path of going from country music to mainstream sounds.
The 63-year-old actor released nine country records during the eighties, with some singles, such as What’s a Memory Like You and Country Girls, reaching the top of the Billboard country singles charts.
Beyoncé released two country songs during the Super Bowl: Texas Hold 'Em and 16 Carriages
Image credits: beyonce
The loyal Beyhive didn’t respond well to the TV star’s comments, taking to social media to call him out over his metaphor.
“You got some nerve to use a dog as a metaphor for beyonce..you should be ashamed of yourself. But i know your white privilege won't allow you to be, so we the beyhive WILL terrorize you and your family for all the last days of your boring white life until we see an apology,” a fan wrote.
“Don't open ur mouth to speak on her again,” another Beyhive member warned, while a separate fan asked, “You know you canceled, right?”
An additional social media user wrote: "D**n...did you really compare Beyonce to a dog marking her territory???!? That's crazy bc if it wasn't for black ppl, there would be no country music.”
“You know, every dog has to mark every tree, right?” the Dukes of Hazzard star said when asked about famous stars releasing country music
Meanwhile, other fans reminded John that the singer was born in the Lone Star State and grew up being exposed to its rich country music traditions.
“He does realize she is actually from TEXAS with a T right? - ONE,' another penned, while one fan added, “And John Schneider isn't even from Texas..but Beyonce is. He's lame just like his songs and his acting.”
John’s comparison comes days after a Beyoncé fan revealed his local country music station, 100.1 KYKC, refused to play “Texas Hold ‘Em,” taking to the social media app X (formerly known as Twitter).
John’s comparison comes days after a Beyoncé fan revealed his local country music station, 100.1 KYKC, refused to play “Texas Hold ‘Em,” taking to the social media app X (formerly known as Twitter).
The outraged fan, named Justin, wrote: “I requested Texas Hold 'Em at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting I received an email from the radio station stating ‘We do not play Beyonce on KYKC, as we are a country music station.’"
Image credits: beyonce
Image credits: johnschneider
Justin tagged Beyoncé Legion, Beyoncé's biggest fan club, at the end of his post and wrote a thread accusing the station of racism and encouraging his fellow Beyhive members to email requesting the song.
After the post went viral, KYKC finally gave in to the fans’ request, writing, “Lots of call coming in for Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em. It’s coming up in minutes” alongside a picture of the song in the queue.
The Oklahoma radio station initially refused to play Beyoncé's new country song because they believed the track had a different sound and was better suited for another station.
John's analogy comes after an Oklahoma country music radio station initially refused to play Texas Hold 'Em
Image credits: beyonce
“We originally didn't even know she was releasing a country song,” a representative from KYKC's owner South Central Oklahoma Radio Enterprises (S.C.O.R.E.) told MailOnline.
“Then, when we began getting requests for it, we literally didn't have it. No label or distributor could get it to us. So we literally couldn't play it.
“Finally, after many calls and emails, we finally got the song and added it to not only our country station, KYKC, but it's also on our Top 40 station, KXFC, and our classic hits station, KADA-FM.
"We have been playing Beyoncé for 20 years, so we are fans."
Act II, Beyoncé's new album, believed to be influenced by country sounds, is set to be released on March 29
Image credits: Beyonce
Queen Bey isn’t the first global star who has ventured into country territory. Steven Tyler, Cyndi Lauper, and Nelly are just a few big names who have released country/country-adjacent albums in the past.
What’s more, stars like Lana Del Rey and Post Malone are reportedly working on their own country music projects, too.
Beyoncé's long-awaited album, Act II, the second of her Renaissance trilogy, is set to be released on March 29. Along with Texas Hold ‘Em, the 32-time Grammy winner put out the country-esque 16 Carriages.
People jumped to Beyoncé's defense, with some deeming John's remarks "racist"
