Zach Bryan apologizes for 'drunkenly' tweeting about Taylor Swift
Country singer Zach Bryan is apologizing after a controversial tweet about superstar Taylor Swift.
Bryan, who released his fifth studio album in July and is best known for his chart-topping song "I Remember Everything" with Kacey Musgraves, made waves online earlier this week when he tweeted "eagles > chiefs / Kanye > Taylor / who's with me," according to screenshots taken by Variety.
Backlash to Bryan seemingly dissing Swift's boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and bringing up Swift's yearslong feud with Kanye West (aka Ye) was, well, swift -- and Bryan appears to have deleted his account on X, formerly Twitter.
Taking to Instagram to react to the online hubbub, Bryan issued a lengthy statement across four story posts, which he kicked off by writing, "For the record guys I wasn't coming for Taylor the other night."
"I was drunkenly comparing two records and it came out wrong. I know there's a lot of stuff that clouds around Ye and I was speaking purely musically," he said. "I love Taylor's music and pray you guys know I'm human and tweet stupid things often. Hope one day I can explain this to her."
"Twitter gets me in trouble too much and I'd say it's best I stay off it," he continued. "I'm sorry to any Taylor fans I p----- off or let down. Love you guys and I'm trying my best!"
Bryan added in another story that he's "been going through a hard time" personally and reiterated he respects Swift "as a musician," and the last thing he wants is "people thinking I don't appreciate and love what she has done for music."
"Don't drink and tweet," he wrote. "Don't drink and tweet!!"
Bryan then called Swift "a force of nature for as long as we've all been growing up," saying he admires that and that he doesn't have a "hint of malice or meanness toward anyone, ever."
In his final story post, the "Pink Skies" singer said, "This year has been an awful lot on me in personal ways that no one knows and I've been trying to cope and balance too many things at once."
"So I'm going to take a breather from tweeting stupid stuff, finish my tour, and ground myself somehow in the midst of all this," he wrote. "I feel very, very blessed each day. Not taking it for granted and holding onto it has been so important to me."
Bryan's team had no comment when contacted by "Good Morning America."
