Cassadee Pope and Brittany Aldean Trade Social Media Barbs After Gender Identity Comments

Things got heated on social media between Cassadee Pope and Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany Aldean, this week, after Aldean made a comment about gender identity and the topic of trans children who wish to transition away from the sex they were assigned at birth.

It all started with a reel Brittany Aldean posted on Instagram, which shows before and after video of her fresh-faced and in full makeup.

"I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase," she writes in the caption. "I love this girly life."

Aldean's statement might have been meant as a light-hearted, off-the-cuff comment, but some users who saw her post objected to the star's wife's seeming exclusion of the LGBTQ+ community — including Pope, who shared her thoughts on Twitter on Friday (Aug. 26).

"You'd think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging," Pope writes, "But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their 'tomboy phase' to someone wanting to transition. Real nice."

Among those who jumped into the comments section of Pope's post was Maren Morris, Pope's former tour boss and longtime friend, who has also been vocal about her support for the LGBTQ+ community and critical of others in the country music industry who espouse controversial points of view.

"It's so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human?" Morris wrote in reply. "Sell your clip-ins and zip it, insurrection Barbie."

The beef between Pope and Aldean was just beginning: In fact, Aldean quoted Pope's entire tweet in an Instagram Stories slide before issuing a lengthy reply that described "genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love" as "one of the worst evils." She also spoke about her own children, four-4-old Memphis and 3-year-old Navy, and her role as their protector.

"I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their innocence," Aldean's statement reads in part. "The other day Memphis wanted to be a dinosaur and tomorrow Navy will want to be a cat. They're children."

On her next Instagram Stories slide, Brittany Aldean posted a list of ages when it's legal to do a variety of things — buy alcohol, cigarettes and enlist in the military — before concluding "Age to take life altering hormone blockers and/or irreversible surgery — a child can choose??"

The feud then continued over on Pope's Instagram, where she shared a smiling photograph of herself against the backdrop of what appears to be London's Palace of Westminster.

"POV: Knowing you got under someone's skin you don't like in the first place," she writes in the caption of her post. Singers like Mickey Guyton and Joy Oladokun shared their support for Pope's position in the comments section, as did Leslie Mosier, who is the owner of viral social media star Doug the Pug.

Pope didn't explicitly say that Brittany Aldean was the subject of her post, nor did she tag the singer's wife, but Morris didn't mind getting a little more specific in the comments section. "You know, I'm really glad she didn't become a boy either because we don't need another a--hole dude in the world," the singer quipped.

"Sucks when Karens try to hide their homophobia/transphobia behind their 'protectiveness of the children,'" Morris continues. "Weren't they putting their kids in Biden-is-a-pedo shirts on social media? Sounds like a real safe way to protect them from millions of eyes!"

That comment was in reference to a conservative merch line that Aldean launched with her husband's sister, Kasi Rosa Wicks, in late 2021. The slogans on the shirts read "Unsilent Majority," "Unapologetically Conservative" and more. Before those shirts officially dropped, the Aldean family were seen on social media wearing some anti-President Joe Biden tees; Memphis wore a shirt reading "Hidin' From Biden." Some social media users accused the Aldeans of using their children as "political props," and the country singer shot back, saying "We will teach our kids what we think is right and what we think is best for their future."

Morris concluded her comment on Pope's post with another criticism of Aldean and anyone else who makes exclusionary comments towards trans kids. "F--k all the way off to Insurrection Barbie and the fellow IBs trolling this comments section with their hypocritical, hateful a--es," she says.

In addition to her reply to Pope, Aldean offered a quick retort to Morris in her Instagram Stories. "Karen Morris. Thanks for calling me Barbie," she writes.

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