American singer-songwriter, Zach Bryan has stunned fans with his bold take on artistic liberty in his latest musical offering. His unreleased song, Bad News marked a major political turn for the typically apolitical country star, directly condemning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and lamenting what he called “the fading of the red, white and blue.” The controversy had created a divide among his fan base and within the country music community. Amid the buzz around the new song, here’s a look back at his past controversy with a minor fan, which led to a publicised feud with Gavin Adcock.
Why has Zach Bryan’s Bad News created a stir online?
Zach Bryan is known for heartfelt, introspective songs that focus on personal stories rather than overt political commentary. However, his one-minute clip of Bad News, which he shared on Instagram on October 6, 2025, featured inflammatory lyrics and went viral overnight. The most provocative line of the song is, “And ICE is gonna come, bust down your door/Kids are all scared and all alone.” The reason for the song teaser hitting hard was that it was released shortly after a heavily criticised ‘military-style’ ICE raid took place in a Chicago apartment building where children were detained. Before this political controversy, Zach was embroiled in a conflict with Gavin Adcock.
How did Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock’s feud start?
The feud between country music artists, Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock, began in July 2025, after a 14-year-old fan posted a now-deleted TikTok expressing disappointment that Zach had not greeted fans waiting for him after a show in New Jersey. The fan claimed to have waited four hours for an autograph. Zach responded to the fan with a now-deleted comment on the TikTok video, “You’re not entitled after someone plays two and a half hours to a picture or a hello.” Gavin felt that Zach’s behaviour towards the fan was unacceptable.
Gavin also criticised Bryan’s handling of the situation on X, calling him out for his harsh reply to a young fan. The former suggested that fans were the reason the latter was famous and that a grown man should be able to handle criticism. A month later, during an appearance on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Gavin escalated his criticism, accusing Zach of putting on a ‘big mask’ for the public and questioning whether he was ‘that great of a person’, which the public considered him to be.
Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock’s feud turned physical
Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock’s conflict remained within boundaries until they met each other at an event, erupting in a heated face-to-face confrontation. At the Born & Raised Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, the duo’s online feud turned physical. Video footage showed Zach and Gavin yelling at each other through a chain-link fence backstage. Zach was seen attempting to scale a barbed-wire-topped wall to get to Gavin while shouting, “Hey, do you want to fight like a man? Come open the gate.” Thankfully, security personnel interveined and held Zach back.
Gavin posted a video about the incident, explaining that he did not want to fight Zach because he did not want to disappoint fans by missing his set or getting into any legal trouble. He also alleged that Zach had been looking for him all day at the festival to start a fight. Gavin also accused Zach of orchestrating the public incident to look tough, stating, “We all know he likes to manipulate people with money”. It might have been a dig at Zach’s earlier feud with his ex-girlfriend, Brianna LaPaglia, who claimed Zach offered her a USD 12 million non-disclosure agreement after their breakup.
What are your thoughts on Zach Bryan’s controversial song lyrics and past feud with Gavin Adcock? Let us know.
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