Zach Bryan has recently faced a significant amount of online criticism after releasing the final version of his song “Bad News,” which contains strong anti-ICE and anti-law enforcement lyrics. The country singer’s track sparked backlash from some of his supporters, as he shared the song on social media with lines that strongly criticize immigration enforcement agents and police. Among the lyrics are phrases like, “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-ckers, 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 song was first released as a snippet in October 2025, but Bryan has now uploaded the full version following the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7. The incident has led to widespread public outrage, especially since Good was an unarmed woman who was shot while driving.
Fans have responded to the track in various ways, with one commenting, “Zach Bryan continues to publicly say both sides need to calm down. ‘We’re too divided.’ I’m not mad at him but honestly a centrist take right now just comes off cowardly. If you think people are being illegally abducted from their homes say it with your chest.” They added, “And that’s just my opinion, but I’d encourage everyone to stop giving out congratulations to people barely meeting the bar of human decency. Edit: he already came out with a centrist not pro Trump song back in October and got blowback. At this point it’s just engagement farming.”
Another fan expressed their support, saying, “I’m glad he released it because it’s going to make MAGAs head explode having one of the most talented country artists currently release a song like this. Especially since messages like this are needed now more than ever. It’s even funnier when they comment shit like ‘Morgan Wallen is better anyways’ trying to cope, when he clearly isn’t on the same level of talent as Zach is.”
A third person wrote, “Because of f—— ICE now I have to agree with Zach Bryan… F— them!” Meanwhile, another fan commented, “I appreciate the sentiment but I really need these celebs to start putting money where their mouths are, like The Weeknd. This isn’t me trying to let perfect be the enemy of good or whatever, it’s just that we need people with money and/or influence to use it for good in tangible ways if they can.”
A fifth fan shared, “I’m still really confused about his statement re: this song. I do really like it though. I hope he stops riding the fence – I’m sure he’s thinking about all of his right wing/MAGA country fans, but f— em. I think enough people like him that he would still have a good career if he stopped riding the fence. Who knows though – he’ll prob go the route of Taylor Swift.”
Bryan finally released “Bad News,” a track filled with strong lyrics about law enforcement and ICE agents, days after the Minneapolis shooting. According to The Blast, Bryan had already gained attention in October 2025 when he posted a snippet of the song on Instagram, including the lyrics, “In the extended version of the song, Bryan laments the current state of America before calling for unity.”
In the full three-minute version of the song, Bryan adds, “My friends are all degenerates, they’re all I got / Every day on the news, someone else is shot / I got some bad news / The fading of the red, white and blue.” He continues, reminding listeners that “this land’s your land” and “this land [is] mine too.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Bryan for the track, stating, “To every single individual that has ever stood up and fought for our freedoms, he just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that, that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe.” She added, “So, Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today. Today, that makes me very happy, that I never once gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle if you truly believe what that song stands for,” and endorsed singers such as Jason Aldean and John Rich.
