Country fans have heard the name Zach Bryan spread through the internet over the past couple of years. The artist gained a large following after he began releasing his own music online in 2017, and quickly became a beloved artist.
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However, over the years, Bryan has been part of several controversies, including an online battle against another Tulsa-based musician. Here is everything you need to know about Zach Bryan and John Moreland’s feud.
@topmusto66 Zach Bryan and his one-time duet partner John Moreland are trading harsh words on social media. Their feud got so heated that Bryan even pulled down the song they recorded together off streaming services. The whole thing started last week, when Bryan renewed his Warner Music label deal and simultaneously reached an agreement to sell his publishing catalog. According to Variety, the two deals raked in an eye-popping $350 million in total. Moreland, an Americana star who teamed with Bryan on a track off his Great American Bar Scene album called "Memphis; the Blues," seemed to take issue with Bryan's massive sale. Or at least, he made a joke about it, posting a message to his Instagram Stories that read "$350M is a lot of money to pay for the fu–kin off-brand version of me." Bryan subsequently posted a screenshot to his own Instagram Stories, and he seemed pretty surprised by the dig.#zachbryan #johnmoreland #walkerhayes ♬ original sound – topmusto66
Known for some of his most powerful songs like Heading South, Revival, Something in the Orange, and I Remember Everything, Bryan is known for probably oversharing his personal life. Especially in October 2024, when he announced his split from Brianna LaPaglia after more than one year of dating, to which LaPaglia later claimed that she was ‘blindsided’ by the breakup.
But that was his most recent relationship. Before then, fans found out that he was honorably discharged from the military in October 2021, and then divorced his wife Rose Madden a year after tying the knot in 2020. After Rose Madden, Bryan announced his relationship with Deb Peifer, marking their one-year anniversary in January 2023, but called it quits a few months later.
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Along with his relationship troubles, Bryan has also had a few arrests and social media controversies. One of which has been the recent battle with John Moreland. So here’s everything you need to know about Zach Bryan and John Moreland’s feud.
It all started on May 7 when John Moreland commented on Zach Bryan’s $350 million deal with Warner Records, saying that “$350M is a lot of money to pay for the f-ing off-brand version of me,” Moreland, 39, said.
Bryan quickly admits that he was confused about the comment, later responding on social media, revealing plans to remove their collab track, Memphis; the Blues, from streaming services.
Upon releasing his plans, Bryan commented, “Just saw this from an artist I’ve always respected and supported. Not trying to be dramatic but refuse to have anyone with a problem with me on my records,” the singer wrote. He also added, “No hard feelings! Confused as s-, Tulsans look out for Tulsans.”
When asked for more, Bryan said that was his only statement, that he’s “not partial to arguing with butt hurt grown men.”
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Apparently, that wasn’t the end of the feud, unfortunately, as Moreland goes on with his thoughts. Moreland later revealed that he did not know Byran before the collab, saying, “I’ll just say one more thing about it and I’m gonna go back to my real life and let y’all have fun on the internet. When I was asked ot be on that album, I did not know that dude. Never met him. Just a really big artist from where I’m from, asking me to be on a record. Cool. The first time I met him, we recorded the song. Like, didn’t have the greatest impression, but no big deal.”
Moreland clarified further why he has an issue with Bryan, saying that after he hung out with him a few times, he didn’t like Bryan. “I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who is a d- head to my wife and my friends right in front of me every time I see him. I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who I’ve heard tell borderline racist jokes more than once,” Moreland says, ending it with a simple, “I don’t like that person.”
After the abundant controversies that Bryan has been a part of, it’s not hard to believe the truth behind Moreland’s words. While it’s a shame that the feud became too public and hateful, hopefully, the feud is finally over.
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