The Jake Owen-Tesla Cybertruck saga continues.
Country music star Jake Owen took to social media recently to share a story about a negative experience he had with a random stranger. Why was someone so ugly to the “Anywhere With You” singer? Well, it had to do with the car that he was driving that day. Hint: not only is it electric, it’s politically charged (thanks, I’ll be here all week).
Owen has been driving around a Tesla Cybertruck, and though he loves the car, the country music artist is wrestling with the hate he’s received because of it. Obviously, Tesla vehicles became rather divisive early on in 2025 when Elon Musk and President Donald Trump were as thick as thieves. That relationship has changed a bit in recent months, but the stigma around Teslas remain.
Specifically Tesla Cybertrucks, which Jake Owen reluctantly bought and then fell in love with:
“Last year I guess I got this email I’d forgot about where I put a $100 bucks down on a Tesla Cybertruck. I’ve never had a Tesla… I’m like, ‘No way I’m gonna keep this Tesla. I’m just gonna buy it, I’ll sell it, make a little money on it.’
I got home and drove it and this thing is badass. Like a freaking space ship. I don’t even have to drive it. I take my hands off the wheel. It drives me.”
Jake Owen has other vehicles that he can use as his daily driver – such as an old Toyota 4Runner that he used to drive to Nashville to start his career – but he wanted to give his new Tesla a try. And according to him, his self-driving tank is as cool as it gets. The only bad thing about it is the response he’s getting from people he doesn’t know.
Here was his first run-in with someone that hated him because of the vehicle he was driving:
“I drive my Cybertruck and I pull up to Starbucks and this guy’s kind of staring at me funny. Different guy, by the way. I get out, he’s like, ‘Is that yours? That Cybertruck?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I mean I am driving it.’ He goes, ‘F**k you, traitor.’
Wow… imagine calling someone you don’t know a traitor, and directing an f-bomb at them, over the car they drive. And remember how many liberals bought a Tesla to “save the environment.” I’d venture to guess more blue voters still own Teslas compared to red voters, but whatever…
Jake Owen was rattled by that experience, but kept (cyber)trucking along. Only a couple of days later, when Owen was out to dinner with his daughter Pearl, he had yet another rude encounter with someone critical of the automobile he was driving around. As he tells it, he was actually talking to someone after dinner about how he might get rid of the car when he noticed that there was a note on his windshield:
“On our way out, I was explaining to them, I said, ‘I have gotta get rid of this Cybertruck.’ They were like, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Well first off, it does look a little ridiculous. Let’s be honest. But I’m getting a lot of hate.’
Y’all, as I walked up to my car, I saw a note. I thought, ‘I can’t wait to read this note.’ Maybe it’s somebody that is being nice and maybe they saw me and they’re like, ‘Hey Jake.’ I don’t know why I thought of that. I’m not trying to be a narcissist or anything. I just thought maybe this was going to be something nice.'”
Spoiler alert… it wasn’t.
Owen took the note off his windshield wiper (Cybertrucks only have one wiper) and read it. I’m no expert in fan-mail, but I don’t think this message would count as that. It actually falls more in the category of “hate mail,” and Jake Owen couldn’t believe that someone would go out of their way to leave a note like this:
“Seriously, here’s what this reads. My daughter is with me. Thanks a lot to whoever left me this note. It says, ‘This car makes you look so f***ing stupid.’ With a heart… they didn’t sign their name. They signed it with love. And it really, absolutely solidified my thought of maybe needing to get a new truck. This is getting ridiculous guys.”
Jake Owen is seriously going to get bullied into giving up his Cybertruck.
The country music star (who apparently doesn’t mind cursing in front of his daughter) took the note on the chin and decided to take the high road with his response. Though it did move him closer to getting rid of his Tesla, he had this to say to the stranger that left him the note:
“To whoever left me this note, I love you. I’ll hug you the next time I see you. I promise I’m a good dude, but maybe I do look stupid.”
Keep fighting the good fight, Jake. Don’t let ’em grind you down.
