I think it was Abraham Lincoln who once said not to believe everything you read on the internet.
Obviously it’s easy to say whatever you want online these days, and it’s easy to have false claims go viral before anybody even takes the time to fact check them. (Of course fact checkers are kinda bullsh*t sometimes too, but that’s a different story for a different day).
But anyway, we’ve seen several fake stories about Garth Brooks going around in the past, like the claim that he started crying after being booed off stage during a show in his home state of Oklahoma, or a fake quote from Hank Williams Jr. that he “wouldn’t be caught dead” on stage with Garth.
Even Texas governor Greg Abbott recently fell for one of these fake news stories, sharing an article from the satirical Dunning-Kruger Times that claimed Garth was booed off stage in less than two minutes at the 123rd annual Texas Country Jamboree in Hambriston, Texas, insinuating that his recent Bud Light comments were the cause.
Obviously, this was not true. The Texas Country Jamboree is not a festival (and definitely hasn’t been around for 123 years), Hambriston is not a town in Texas. And the rabid fanbase of G certainly did not suddenly turns their backs on the man they’ve idolized for decades.
Governor Greg Abbott still shared the story though, commenting in a since-deleted post:
“Go woke. Go broke. Garth called his conservative fans. “assholes”. Good job Texas.”
So yeah, it’s easy for these fake stories to take root and spread like wildfire before the truth can be revealed.
Well another one of these posts from a satirical website has been making the rounds, claiming that Garth was removed from a Toby Keith tribute because he was too “woke.”
Of course Toby Keith recently passed away on February 5th, and the article claims that “Toby wouldn’t have wanted a woke person” at his tribute show.
The only problem is it’s all crap.
The article originated from a website called SpaceXMania.com, which identifies itself as satire right on its site:
“Welcome to SpaceXMania, your go-to source for the latest space news and hilarious satirical commentary.”
And the disclaimer on their site reads:
“These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up. We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate.
Readers should exercise caution and use their own judgment when reading and interpreting our satirical articles. We take no responsibility for any actions taken based on the content of these articles.
We understand that some readers may be unfamiliar with satire and may not understand that these articles are not meant to be taken at face value. It is the responsibility of the reader to discern the intent of these articles and to understand that they are not presented as factual news.”
In fact, Garth released a lengthy statement on his website, paying tribute to his fellow Okie:
“In the entertainment world, things change from day to day. The business changes, the music changes, the ONLY thing constant is change. Except for Toby Keith…Toby was the same every time you saw him. Loved him or hated him, he was constant.
To say I knew him well wouldn’t be a accurate statement. I knew of Toby his entire career, but only got to know him a bit at the Tornado Relief Concert he did in Oklahoma over a decade ago. What he did for the victims and survivors brought a ray of hope in a dark, dark time…
What I learned from Toby is what I hope I am able to do when it’s my turn to wear those shoes. He was ALWAYS Toby…all the way up to his passing.
He was still that no-filter, very loud, honest guy he was in the beginning. And artist to artist, he sounded the best I had ever heard him the last time he took the stage at the Ryman and in Vegas – a feat all of us artists wish to accomplish.”
So yeah…be careful what you share on the internet. Especially, it seems, if it has to do with Garth Brooks.
