Fact Check: Is country singer Jason Aldean launching his own music channel following CMT ban? Viral article debunked

Country music star Jason Aldean's Try That in a Small Town music video was released in July of this year, bringing much controversy. The video, despite its success, was accused of having racist undertones and being pro-lynching. As a result of the backlash, the video was banned by Country Music Television (CMT). This led to more outrage and a call to boycott CMT.

Back in August, a website named SpaceXMania released an article claiming that Aldean had decided to launch his exclusive music channel, 'Aldean’s Uncensored,' in retaliation to the ban. However, in reality, Aldean has not mentioned the launch of any such channel. The article is purely satirical, as SpaceXMania is a well-known satirical commentary website.

---

Jason Aldean is not launching his exclusive music channel

The SpaceXMania article by Alex Bruno claimed that Jason Aldean had decided to "fight fire with fire" regarding his CMT ban. The report claimed that Aldean had decided to launch his exclusive music channel, "Aldean’s Uncensored." The new channel would allegedly be:

"[A] safe haven for his music, his fans, and his hat – all untouched and uncensored."

According to SpaceXMania, Jason Aldean's new channel's logo would be an image of the country singer's iconic cowboy hat on fire, which the website called a "clear nod" to the controversy and Aldean's response. The site even claimed that Aldean spoke about the channel in a press conference. The website quoted him as saying that the channel would allegedly be,

"All Aldean, all the time. With extra sprinkles of Try That In A Small Town on top."

However, as mentioned in the introduction, Jason Aldean has not launched any new channels. SpaceXMania is a self-professed "go-to source for the latest space news and hilarious satirical commentary" owned and operated by Funky Productions LLC. The aforementioned news article is in the 'Satire' section of the website.

SpaceXMania wrote on the disclaimer section of their website,

"Please note that the article under the category “SATIRE” are satirical in nature and are not meant to be taken seriously."

They added,

"These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up. We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate."

The official SpaceXMania website (Image via SpaceXMania)

CMT pulled Jason Aldean's music video in July as protestors called the music video 'pro-lynching' and 'racist' as it was filmed at the Maury County Courthouse, the infamous location where a black man named Henry Choate was lynched and two black men were killed during the 1946 race riot.

Aldean responded to the backlash on social media. He released a statement in which he called the accusations that he was pro-lynching and that he was not pleased with the BLM protests "not only meritless but dangerous." He pointed out that there was not a lyric in the song that was race-related or a moment in the video that was not real news footage.

He added,

"While I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far."

He reminded people that he was present at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting and that nobody, including himself, wanted to see "senseless headlines or families ripped apart." For him, Try That in a Small Town referred to the "feeling of a community" he had growing up, where people cared for their neighbors regardless of backgrounds and beliefs.

SpaceXMania further reported that Jason Aldean claimed that although his channel would "mostly be" his music videos on repeat, it would also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, live performances, and "a few surprises." The channel would also allegedly feature a new reality show, 'Living with Aldean.'

In response to the news, the website claimed that a few CMT officials were "considering therapy." When asked about the backlash, the singer is slated to say that he was not here to please everybody but to make music for his fans and anyone "who appreciates real, authentic country music." The singer asked people who had a problem to start a new channel.