Zach Bryan Teases New Song Bashing ICE And Law Enforcement Officers
on Oct 06, 2025
Country singer Zach Bryan is stirring up the internet after sharing a teaser of a song that appears to slam the current spirit of America.
On Friday (October 3), Zach Bryan teased a new song with a brief clip shared on social media. The song, titled “Bad News,” seems to criticize ICE raids and law enforcement officers, whom he calls “cocky.” The caption of the clip reads, “the fading of the red white and blue.”
The song’s lyrics include the following:
“My friends are all degenerates, but they’re all I got
The generational story of dropping the plot
I heard the cops came, Cocky motherf—–s, ain’t they?
And ICE is gonna come bust down your door
try to build a house no one builds no more
but I got a telephone. Kids are all scared and all alone
The bar stopped bumping
The rock stopped rolling
The middle fingers rising
And it won’t stop showing.
Got some bad news.
The fading of the red, white, and blue”
Many of Bryan’s millions of Instagram followers condemned the lyrics, leading the singer to turn off comments on the post. But his followers are sharing their thoughts elsewhere on the internet.
Zach Bryan Fans React To “Bad News”
Listeners took to other social media platforms and other Zach Bryan posts to share their thoughts on the new tune. Some thanked him for being “on the right side of history,” while most criticized him and accused him of alienating his audience.
“Why TF would you alienate half of your audience???? Badddddd move on your end,” one follower wrote. Others added, “Call the Dixie Chicks and see how well this worked out for them,” “Boy did you pick the wrong side … The Red, White & Blue will never fade,” and “You don’t get to use patriotism in one video and sell out in another. Done with you.”
Among those expressing their frustration with Bryan’s stance is Big & Rich frontman, John Rich.
In a series of posts made on X, Rich, an outspoken conservative and supporter of Donald Trump, shared a post and added his own note that read, “Nashville is full of guys like this.”
Nashville is full of guys like this👇 https://t.co/G1os6xfL3S
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) October 6, 2025
He followed with another comment, saying:
“Who’s ready for the Zach Bryan-Dixie Chicks tour? Prob a huge Bud Light sponsorship for this one.” The comment was in reference to the 2003 controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks’ public statement against then-President George W. Bush and the 2023 boycott against Bud Light after they enlisted a transgender influencer for an ad campaign.
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Thousands of readers commented on John Rich’s post, many in support of Rich’s sentiment. Others expressed their confusion over Bryan’s political leanings. The “Something In The Orange” singer has mostly avoided politics in the past, though he praised President Trump when the then-presidential candidate survived an assassination attempt.
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In contrast, Bryan hails Bruce Springsteen as one of his musical heroes. Springsteen is an outspoken critic of the President, with whom he has had a public feud for several years.
Zach Bryan addressed the harsh reactions to “Bad News.”
In a post made to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday (October 7), Bryan addressed what he said was a misinterpretation of the song’s lyrics. The singer defended the tune, saying, “This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything.”
Bryan added that when fans hear the full song, it will make sense and listeners will hear that it touches on “both sides of the aisle.”
“I served this country. I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space,” Zach wrote, saying that the reaction made him both embarrassed and scared. “Left wing or right wing we’re all one bird and American. To make it clear, I’m on neither of these radical sides.”
Hear the Zach Bryan song that has his fans up in arms in the clip below:
