The Biggest Viral Country Music Moments in 2025

Riley, Megan & Ella's Dating Drama

Unquestionably the hottest topic of 2025.

The plot of this rumoured love triangle seemed to thicken and pivot on a weekly basis, with TikTok sleuths working overtime as they attempted to figure out who was dating who.

It all started when Ella Langley teamed up with Riley Green for the viral hit, ‘you look like you love me’ last summer, with the duo then making a plethora of high-profile appearances together, before teaming up for a second duet, ’Don't Mind If I Do’. They oozed chemistry every time they performed on tour, and given the lovestruck themes of both songs, fans were desperate for there to be truth in the lyrics.

It seemed to be mere fan-fuelled speculation. Then it all got a bit weird, when Green posted a photo of him on holiday with some baby sharks to his Instagram Stories. Fans spotted someone in his reflection, with the ‘Worst Way’ hitmaker quickly deleting the post and re-uploading it with his sunglasses blacked out. Megan Moroney, meanwhile, had been sharing photos from her own holiday, with both artists seemingly in St. Bart's (Moroney later confirmed they were vacationing in the same location).

Then came the grainy photos of what appeared to be Green and Moroney driving around together in the former's hometown, and a handful of other thinly veiled social media clues, before the ’Tennessee Orange’ singer-songwriter proceeded to turn the narrative on its head once again. During a concert, she responded to a fan wearing a Riley Green shirt by mouthing the words, “He f***ed up!”

After that, Green and Langley picked up a trio of CMA Awards for ‘you look like you love me’, and Langley and Moroney reportedly unfollowed one another on Instagram.

To make this even thornier, the supposed love triangle seems to have made its way into the music, with Green dropping a forlorn break-up song called ‘Make It Rain’ earlier this year. Now, Moroney is teasing the title-track to her third album, ‘Cloud 9’, which features an eye-catching lyric in the hook - “It's all sunshine and blue skies / But I can also make it rain”. A coincidence? A subtle dig? Who knows.

One thing we do know is that these salacious and convoluted rumours have helped to plunge Green, Langley and Moroney even deeper into the spotlight than they were before, with the trio cementing themselves as three of the biggest names in modern country. They've got the songs to back it up, though, and all three seem on track to achieve megastardom in 2026.

As for the dating gossip, bearing in mind how long fans have been speculating about Moroney and Morgan Wallen following their alleged fling back in 2022, we don't think the flames of conjecture are going to die down about Green, Langley and Moroney any time soon. The only solution, we believe, is for the three to band together and blow this thing wide open by dropping a bizarre, bolt-from-the-blue three-person collaboration...

- Maxim Mower

Wallen Walk Out of SNL / Get Me To Gods Country

Morgan Wallen already shared a notorious love/hate relationship with NBC’s beloved long-running show Saturday Night Live — and in 2025, he added another chapter that instantly and hilariously went viral.

Appearing as the musical guest on March 29, Wallen’s performances themselves were mostly beside the point. The real moment came during the show’s traditional goodnights, when he hugged the host, Anora star Mikey Madison, turned, and briskly walked straight off the stage, skipping the usual cast mingling as cameras and the credits were still rolling.

Within minutes, confusion turned into comedy. Wallen compounded the moment by posting a photo of a private jet to Instagram with the caption, “Get me to God’s country,” a line so melodramatic and oddly poetic it practically begged to be memed.

The internet obliged. Fans joked he fled Studio 8H like it was on fire, while others treated the phrase as a universal caption for escaping awkward situations, work meetings, or even New York itself.

SNL leaned in too, with Colin Jost joking on his Weekend Update segment that money was leaving the stock market “faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights.” Whether rude or unintentionally hilarious, the moment landed, with Wallen, once again, giving SNL a viral exit instead of a bow.

- Ross Jones

'Bitin' List' Bites Back

“To put it plain, I just don't like you / Not a thing about the way you is / And if there ever come a time I got rabies / You're high on my bitin' list…”

No song had a hold on 2025 quite like Tyler Childers’ ‘Bitin’ List.' Soon after its late-July release, the Snipe Hunter anthem, about personal gripes with a side of rabid bites, became the soundtrack to everyone’s squabbles and grievances.

And we do mean everyone’s.

The song became a part of a social media trend, where users would rattle off their “bitin’ lists”–numbering the people, items, habits, etc. that they find infuriating–as the Childers song played. Country’s elite even joined in on the phenomenon, with everyone from Kaitlin Butts to Willie Nelson tipping their hats to the punchy tune.

However, things got really weird when singer-songwriter Zach Bryan took the trend a little too far, using the song to fuel a bout of outrage this past August.

When three of Bryan's ex-partners–Rose Madden, Deb Peifer and Brianna LaPaglia–shared their own videos, lip-syncing along to ‘Bitin’ List’, many fans ran with it, taking the individual posts as respective digs at Bryan. Soon after, the ‘Something in the Orange’ hitmaker took the song into his own hands, sharing one head-scratching video after the other with ‘Bitin’ List’ playing in the background of each.

One ominous Instagram story showed Bryan hitting a golf ball off the top of a flaming Barstool Sports towel, the now-iconic song soundtracking it all.

- Alli Patton

You Ain’t Gotta Die to Be Dead to Me

Kaitlin Butts had a little extra life breathed into her acclaimed 2024 album Roadrunner! when one of its album tracks had a spectacular viral moment of its own, turning the Oklahoma singer into a country superstar signed to Republic Records.

Her savagely cold-hearted country kiss-off 'You Ain't Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me)' first began turning up on TikTok around May, with users drawn to its theme of cutting bad people out of your life, lip-syncing along to the song's second verse in which she feigns not even knowing her own father after he was caught fooling around behind her mama's back.

"You know, I think I have heard of that man / I think, I think I heard he got run over by a train. mauled by a bear, maybe, hopefully... You ain't gotta die to be dead to me."

The trend went stratospheric when Avery Anna posted a TikTok of herself lip-syncing to the song and shortly after that, Ella Langley did the same, as she stirred a literal and metaphorical pot, setting off a shitstorm in the comment section as fans began to speculate that Langley was taking a pop at her 'You Look Like You Love Me' duet partner, Riley Green.

By June of 2025, nearly 30,000 videos had been created and shared on TikTok featuring 'You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me)' and the celebrities kept on joining in with Willow Avalon, Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel, Renee Rapp, Valerie Bertinelli, Mackenzie Porter and Dasha all having a go.

When Zach Bryan’s recent ex Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia posted it, the song felt like it had fulfilled its destiny, with Butts commenting beneath the video, “This song was actually made for you” to LaPaglia, a reference to her acrimonious break up from Zach Bryan.

Lana Del Rey & Morgan Wallen: A Match Made in... Hell?

Stagecoach has managed to make plenty of headlines in recent years, growing to welcome acts from beyond the confines of the country genre.

With a bevy of special guests, surprise collaborations and one-of-a-kind performances, you never know what might come out of the California desert when April rolls around... but a possible tryst between country megastar Morgan Wallen and revered pop lyricist Lana Del Rey definitely wasn't on our 2025 bingo card.

During Del Rey's set of her biggest hits and newer singles like 'Bluebird' and 'Henry, come on,' the hitmaker had quite the showstopper as she performed an unreleased tune called '57.5.'

Making reference to what was then her monthly listeners on Spotify, LDR dropped a massive bomb during the tongue-in-cheek song. Coming off as almost a confessional, the singer shared mid-song that this was "the last time [she was] ever going to say this line," before singing "I kissed Morgan Wallen / I guess kissing me kind of went to his head / If you want my secret to success / I suggest don’t go ATVing with him when you’re out west."

While it's impossible to say whether or not the smooch actually happened, it's apparent that the famed pop artist was poking fun at the controversial country figure, seeing as the rest of '57.5' reads like a beginner's guide to stardom and offers tidbits of comical advice throughout.

- Lydia Farthing

Bailey Zimmerman's New Teeth

Let’s be honest, Bailey Zimmerman has always had a smile on his face.

Like a golden Labrador at the beach surrounded by all his favourite humans, Zimmerman brings a hyperactive joy to country music that’s impossible to ignore, and even harder not to love. So when he suddenly showed up online with a brand-new, movie-star smile, the internet did what it does best: stopped scrolling, stared with a smirk, and started having fun with it.

Zimmerman revealed his new veneers in typical Bailey fashion, posting before-and-after shots and grinning like he’d just been let off the leash. He admitted he’d been insecure about his teeth since he was a kid and joked that he’d be “cheesin’ 24/7” now, not like he hadn't been doing so already. Of course, he had to celebrate properly: he posted a TikTok dancing with his dentist in full “look at these pearly whites” glory, combining choreography and a grin so bright it almost hurt to look at.

Fans hyped the glow-up, teased that every future photo would be even more happy, and applauded him for being open about something most artists quietly “fix” and move on from.

In the end, it wasn’t really about the teeth. It was about watching someone in the public eye already overflowing with energy somehow unlock an even bigger grin — and finding a little bit of confidence in themselves while doing it.

- RJ

Zach Bryan's 'Bad News' & Nate Smith's MAGA Outing

We could have made a whole Top 10 of viral moments involving Zach Bryan in 2025, but back in October, when he shared a snippet of an unreleased song, 'Bad News,' on his socials, he set off a shitstorm that even had the Department of Homeland Security wading in with their two cents.

"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," he sings in the still yet-to-be-released song, drawing the ire of conservative country music fans for his reference to the “fading of the red, white and blue.”, in particular, Nate Smith, who had just recently proudly declared his own political allegiances very publicly while opening up for Jason Aldean in Chicago.

When somebody handed the 'Wasted On You' singer a “Make America Great Again” cap from the crowd, the singer quickly put on the cap and later took to his socials calling the moment one of the proudest of his career, admitting that it felt good to finally find the courage to reveal his beliefs to his fans.

“Truthfully, that was the proudest moment of my entire career so far," he posted. "Not even a question, because being on stage in Chicago, getting handed that hat, being able to put it on, being able to live fully authentic to who I am in front of everybody just felt right. And it felt good and it felt free. And I’ll tell you what, I’ve never felt more spirit of America, spirit of patriotism in my entire life than I did on that stage. It was, it was unbelievable. And I just want to say thank you for that."

"I also want to say, I don’t know why it’s been so scary to just be who you are at all times," he went on to say. "Why is it so scary to be like, ‘Yep, I voted for Trump. Yep. I’m a conservative.’ Cool… Why is that? Why is that such a hard thing to say on a public forum? It’s not.”

Freshly liberated from the shackles of some imaginary public silencing of right-wing agendas, Nate Smith went all in on Zach Bryan once the clip of 'Bad News' has been posted, albeit without directly naming the 'Something in the Orange' singer.

“I’m going to say this one time and one time only," Smith posted in a video from his car as the newly self-appointed moral arbiter of country music. "If you are in country music, you’re a country music artist, and you are anti-American, you hate America, you don’t share the values of Americans, we don’t want you here. We don’t want you in our genre. We want you out. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.”

Following the backlash, Zach Bryan, himself a US Navy veteran, released a statement defending his song and his own patriotic ideals.

"I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media," Bryan wrote. "This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back."

- Jof Owen

Let’s face it, hair holds power, and when Cameron Whitcomb chopped all of his off this past summer, the new do caused quite the stir.

Since he came onto the country scene, the Canadian alt-folk star had been sporting some pretty daring locks, from a flowing mullet to an angular fade. He wore his hair like a brand as he released viral hits like ‘Quitter’ and ‘Medusa,’ the edgy styles signaling to listeners his penchant for rock-heavy sounds and back-flipping antics.

May, though, kicked off a season of change for the artist-on-the-rise.

To the surprise of many, he began to appear in his social posts sporting a buzz cut. Where there had been unruly tendrils of sandy brown tresses now lived a covering of brief fuzz. The new look was met with equal parts shock and adoration from fans, but mostly, the fresh cut was met with a handful of jokes, especially from his country contemporaries.

Famous pals, like Avery Anna and Max McNown, had no qualms with poking fun at the fellow hitmaker sans hair, and as always, Whitcomb was more than happy to play along.

- AP

Billy Ray Cyrus & His Old Town Dumpster Fire

Kicking off 2025, the US welcomed a familiar face back to the White House on January 20th.

During the inauguration festivities, which included appearances from plenty of country acts like Parker McCollum, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts and more, there seemed to be quite a few technical difficulties, starting with Carrie Underwood's impromptu a cappella version of 'America the Beautiful' during the official swearing in ceremony.

The American Idol winner's quick recovery, though, is nothing compared to the true dumpster fire performed by Billy Ray Cyrus at the Liberty Ball later that night.

Opening with the cinematic music video for his Grammy-nominated collab with Lil Nas X, 'Old Town Road,' Cyrus proceeded to play over the video... or at least that's what he was going for. What resulted was the worst possible version of karaoke you could ever imagine from a guy who sounded like he might've heard the song once prior to taking the stage... and all in front of a few thousand people and broadcast live to the nation.

Once the video was over, Cyrus broke out into another few run-throughs of the chorus completely a capella and completely off key while skipping around the stage.

At one point admitting to the audience that the production team told him to "kill as much time as possible," the one-hit-country-wonder tried to put the crowd through a rendition of his 1992 hit, 'Achy Breaky Heart,' but as the difficulties continued, it seemed that his guitar was completely turned off.

Cyrus later went on to claim that his equipment "went to hell,'. Needless to say, TikTok had a heyday with this one.

- LF

Gavin Adcock vs. Everyone

Last year, it felt like it wouldn't get much bigger than Drake and Kendrick Lamar battling it out on the global stage, as various allies and opponents chimed in on their vicious rap feud.

But it turns out that was a mere beef aperitif (aperibeef?) for what Gavin Adcock had in store for 2025. The ‘Last One To Know’ hitmaker waded into disputes with, well, virtually everyone and anyone. Whether you were a fellow country artist or Nickelback's sound guy - nobody was safe. Adcock's beef-train left the station rather gently in April, when he had a mild tiff with his tour-mate, Braxton Keith.

They squashed any disagreements almost immediately, but it seems Adcock now had a taste for it, as a couple of months later he sent barbs in the direction of Beyoncé, rejecting COWBOY CARTER as not feeling country enough to warrant her contentious Grammy win for Album of the Year. Naturally, Beyoncé had bigger fish to fry, so she didn't respond, leaving Adcock to turn his attention elsewhere.

Next up, Zach Bryan found himself in the ‘On One’ crooner's crosshairs. After Bryan angrily responded to a 14-year-old fan who criticised him for not signing autographs after his show, telling them to “GOMD” (Get Off My D***), Adcock lambasted the ‘Something in the Orange’ chart-topper, and questioned why anyone would idolise him.

Then came the spat with Nickelback's sound guy and further jibes with Bryan, which came to a head at Born & Raised when a ridiculous video emerged of Bryan prowling along a fence and threatening to fight Adcock, who stands on the other side of the wire. Amusingly, Adcock claimed Bryan had been in his section all day, and waited until he was on the other side of the fence before kicking up a fuss.

Fast-forward to December, and Adcock thought he'd round out 2025 neatly with a couple more online battles with alt-country veterans, Charley Crockett and Benjamin Tod. Adcock was seemingly fed up with all the barbs Crockett and Tod had been sending in the direction of his buddy, Morgan Wallen, and decided to do something about it, labelling both as unsuccessful and irrelevant. The feud with Tod escalated further, with the two trading blows on a number of social media posts, with Adcock seemingly finishing 2025 as he intends to continue in 2026.

Who will be on Adcock's hit-list for next year? Will he throw it back to 2024 and attempt to reignite the Drake and Kendrick beef, just for fun? Perhaps he'll release his own cover of ‘Jamestown Ferry’, the song he mocked Crockett for recording three times? Who knows, but as long as it doesn't go too far, country fans are here for it.

- MM