On Nov. 29, 2023, The Dunning-Kruger Times published an article positing that country music star Lee Greenwood told a cheering crowd that Garth Brooks, another country star, should retire following his drop in popularity.
Brooks has faced intense scrutiny for his stance on choosing to serve Bud Light – widely boycotted for working with transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney – in his Nashville bar.
The claim made its way to the site's Facebook, racking up more than 7,800 reactions and 2,000 comments, at the time of this writing. The article began:
Lee Greenwood Says Garth Brooks Should Retire: "He's Embarrassing Himself"
Lee Greenwood, one of country music's most celebrated stars, told a cheering crowd that he thinks Garth Brooks should retire. "he's just embarrassing himself at this point," Greenwood said, "every time he takes the stage he gets a barrage of boos."
Greenwood is, of course, talking about the festival in Hambriston, Texas, the unexpected appearance and subsequent sad departure in Oklahoma, and a distraught Carrie Underwood, who found out exactly what it's like to take the stage with him.
Lee Greenwood never made such a claim; this event never took place and was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The Dunning-Kruger Times describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:
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. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing.
The article references the "festival in Hambriston, Texas," the "unexpected appearance and subsequent sad departure in Oklahoma," and "a distraught Carrie Underwood," all of which are articles making false claims published by the Dunning-Kruger Times that we've previously debunked.
The controversy in the country music scene began when Brooks was asked in a June 2023 Billboard interview whether he would be serving Bud Light beer in his Nashville bar, given the company's previous partnership with transgender TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney. Brooks responded: "I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another. And yes, we're going to serve every brand of beer."
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.