Zach Bryan has apologized for “drunkenly” tweeting that he prefers Kanye West to Taylor Swift and appears to have deactivated his X account.
On Tuesday (September 19), the country superstar tweeted: “Eagles > Chiefs, Kanye > Taylor, who’s on my side.”
The first part of the now-deleted tweet was taken as a veiled dig at Swift, who is currently dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
West has faced widespread criticism in recent years for a series of anti-Semitic tirades. He and Swift also have a checkered history, since West interrupted the pop star during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV VMAs to denounce her win over Beyoncé.
In another tweet, which has since been deleted, Bryan added: “Guys, I love Taylor, heard TTPD (The “Tortured Poets” section) and ‘thanK you aIMee’ came out last night and I tweeted that drunk about Kanye. If anyone meant that seriously, know that I love both artists very much and think we’re in a really beautiful time in music.”
“thanK you aIMee” is widely seen as a diss track against Kim Kardashian after the reality star publicly branded the singer a liar in defense of her then-husband West.
Bryan’s X page now says “This account does not exist,” but a disabled account can be restored within 30 days.
On Instagram, Bryan gave a more detailed statement about his controversial tweet on Thursday.
“To the record people: I wasn’t here for Taylor the other day,” Bryan wrote. “I was drunk comparing two records and it came out wrong. I know there’s a lot of stuff revolving around Ye and I was speaking purely musically.”
“I love Taylor’s music and pray you know that I’m only human and often tweet stupid things,” Bryan continued. “I hope I can explain that to her one day.”
He wrote that it was “best” for him to stay away from X and said he was going through a “tough time” in his life and was “projecting a little” with his tweet.
“To be completely honest, it just came across as rude and desensitized to Taylor,” he wrote. “I respect her so much as a musician that the last thing I want is for people to think I don’t appreciate and love what she has done for music.”
He concluded by writing: “Don’t drink and tweet!!”
The Independent has reached out to Bryan’s representative for further comment.
Earlier this week, Bryan tweeted provocatively: “Anyone who is willing to put politics above music doesn’t understand the point of listening to music.”
Following the US presidential debate last week, Swift announced her support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The “Cruel Summer” singer wrote on Instagram: “I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need a fighter to represent her.”
She added: “I have done my research and made my choice. It is entirely up to you to do your research and make the choice.”
