Shaboozey Responds After Viral Side-Eye at Megan Moroney During AMAs

Shaboozey has addressed the viral moment involving Megan Moroney during the 2025 American Music Awards, where the two artists shared the stage as co-presenters.

The incident occurred on Monday, May 26, when the duo presented the award for Favourite Country Duo or Group. Shaboozey began by highlighting the legacy of country music at the AMAs, noting that in the first year of the event, the Favourite Male Country Artist award was given to Charlie Pride.

Moroney followed with a comment stating that in that same year, Lynn Anderson was named Favourite Female Artist and that the Carter Family, in her words, “basically invented country music.” After her remark, Shaboozey briefly paused, looked in her direction, and laughed before continuing to announce the nominees. The exchange was quickly picked up on social media and became one of the most discussed moments of the evening.

The Carter Family, known for their impact on American folk and country music in the 1920s through the 1940s, are often credited with helping shape the genre. Songs such as "Keep on the Sunny Side" and "Wildwood Flower" are considered classics, and the Country Music Hall of Fame refers to them as “the first family of country music.”

Following the broadcast, Shaboozey took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts. In one post, he encouraged followers to look up figures like Lesley Riddle, Steve Tartar, Harry Gay, and DeFord Bailey alongside the Carter Family—pointing to a broader and more complex history of country music than is often discussed. He went on to state that the deeper one digs into the roots of the genre, the more powerful and inclusive its story becomes. In another post, he emphasized that the real history of country music involves people coming together across cultural lines to celebrate shared human experiences.

The viral side-eye sparked debate online. Some, including The Tennessean, speculated that Shaboozey’s reaction may have stemmed from Moroney’s narrow framing of the genre’s origins, which many scholars trace back to influences from enslaved Africans and other marginalized communities long before the Carter Family rose to prominence.

On the other hand, Deadline proposed an alternative interpretation—that Shaboozey might have misunderstood Moroney’s comment as an indirect reference to Beyoncé and her Cowboy Carter era. Beyoncé’s 2024 country album made waves in the industry, earning her multiple AMAs and spotlighting Black artists in country music. Her performances have also featured her daughters, further deepening her cultural impact within the genre.

Other notable winners at the 2025 AMAs included Rod Stewart, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Janet Jackson, who was honoured with the Icon Award, and Zac Brown, who accepted the inaugural Veterans Voice Award.