Fact Check: Did CMT fire its program director? Jason Aldean video reinstated claim debunked

Jason Aldean has become the subject of interest across social media platforms following the removal of his Try That In a Small Town music video from Country Music Television (CMT). Now, rumor has it that the organization has reinstated the controversial recording and has also fired a program director who was supposedly responsible for its ban. However, the claim is far from the truth. The network still stands by their dismissal.

For those unversed, Jason Aldean’s Try That In a Small Town music video and lyrics left some people uncomfortable. They called it out for promoting violence, gun ownership, and racism. However, several high-profile personalities have stood by Aldean including Luke Bryan, Travis Tritt, and Nikki Haley among others.

Recently, a Twitter post by America’s Last Line Of Defense claimed that the CMT had restored the video in question. It also stated the program director responsible for the controversy has had his employment terminated. The tweet also read:

“CMT is walking back its ban on Jason Aldean’s “Try That In a Small Town” after backlash from both artists and fans.”

The tweet had amassed 51.5K views at the time of writing this article. The platform user had also attached a The Dunning-Kruger Times article which reported the same news. The article read:

“Sandy Jerdusky, the longtime Program Director at CMT and the woke liberal who canceled the video has been fired and replaced with up-and-coming radio personality Joe Barron.”

They also added that the CMT would be reinstating the music video soon.

However, the article is false. The CMT is not recirculating the Jason Aldean music video in reality.

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The CMT is not bringing back the divisive Jason Aldean music video

The organization had not released an official statement announcing that they were reviving the music video at the time of writing this article. Twitter clarified that the news of the same was false. They reminded netizens that the stories published by the aforementioned website are satirical in nature.

This is not the first time the publication’s sarcastic announcements have gone viral online. For those unversed, The Dunning-Kruger Times is a satirical network that creates fictional stories. They have written on their website:

“Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”

Unfortunately, several netizens fail to verify claims that are released by publications, leading to them believing false announcements. This can be immensely harmful as it can encourage the dissemination of misinformation subsequently leading to harmful outcomes.

Hence, it is important to verify breaking news from credible publications or the subject of the matter themselves.

As mentioned above, the CMT has not announced the reinstatement of the music video and neither has Jason Aldean himself confirmed the same. Hence, it is safe to say that the recording is not returning, and nobody was fired from their job.

Responding to the removal of the music video by the CMT, Aldean noted that the assumptions made about the song’s message are “meritless” and “dangerous.” He also stated that the song was about celebrating having a “community” where people care for each other irrespective of their personal beliefs.