“Dude, I'm Not Crying”: Watch Noah Kahan's Tongue-in-Cheek Reaction to the US TikTok Ban

Noah Kahan has offered a tongue-in-cheek response to news that TikTok is set to be banned in the US from January 19th, unless the social media platform's parent company, ByteDance, sells the ubiquitous app to a US-approved buyer before that deadline.

With TikTok one of the key outlets for artists to create content, interact with fans and share new music, an array of musicians have expressed concerns about the removal of the app.

Noah Kahan, who has effectively utilised TikTok over the past two years to help him blossom into one of today's most popular artists, has taken to his beloved platform to address fans with a series of posts joking that he's “not even stressed” about the ban.

As is often the case with the Vermont native, almost everything Noah Kahan says in the newly uploaded clips is coloured by a dose of sarcasm, with Kahan admitting at the end of his speech that he is indeed panicking, and isn't sure what he should do next.

The ‘Stick Season’ hitmaker began, “I just heard the craziest news...Some moron told me TikTok was closing down. No shot! They would never do that to me...Fuck”.

The ‘Northern Attitude’ singer-songwriter attempted to put on a brave face, and - hilariously - poke fun at one of TikTok's biggest rivals, YouTube Shorts, which doesn't enjoy anywhere near as much prominence as its competitor, “Nah, I'll be good. I'll be fine. Yeah, YouTube Shorts! YouTube Shorts are great. Everyone loves YouTube Shorts. Everybody uses that software. So fire. It's gonna be fine. It'll be fine”.

Noah Kahan made light of the notion that he's a “TikTok artist”, quipping, “I'm not like a TikTok artist, anyways, like...I have built...there's so much more out there for me...I'll be good, like, I'm not even stressed! You guys are freaking out”. Although he's modestly implying that he is indeed reliant on TikTok, it must be underlined that Noah Kahan's status has undoubtedly transcended that of solely “a TikTok artist”, with the folk-leaning crooner considered a trailblazer in the genre.

Noah Kahan went on, “Dude, I'm not crying. Those aren't tears”. Kahan then pulled the camera closer to his face to show that there are, in fact, tears, confessing, “Someone help me, because I don't know what the fuck to do. I'm fucked. Help me out”.

Although the tone of Noah Kahan's new videos is typically playful and jovial, underneath it all is a genuine anxiety that is taking hold of many smaller artists that rely on TikTok as a pivotal promotional tool. It remains to be seen whether TikTok will indeed be banned later this month, with incoming President Donald Trump hinting at a more lenient attitude towards ByteDance compared to 2020, when he tried to ban the app himself. This time around, Donald Trump has asked the Court to delay its decision, with his second term due to start the day after ByteDance's deadline to find a US-approved buyer, January 20th. As a result, it's possible that any ban imposed on the 19th could be reversed shortly after by Trump.

The reason behind the proposed ban, which was signed into law in April 2024, is based on accusations that ByteDance has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, with US officials worried about citizens’ data being handed over. The US Justice Department described TikTok as posing “a national-security threat of immense depth and scale”.

Noah Kahan is currently working on his keenly anticipated Stick Season (Forever) album, with the bearded crooner gearing up for a high-profile album rollout in the coming months. It remains to be seen, therefore, whether TikTok will play a role in this rollout, or whether Kahan will be forced to jump ship and try his hand at YouTube Shorts.

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