Why is Boycott Zach Bryan trending online? Anti-ICE song lyrics controversy over 'fading of the red white and blue' explained

Country star Zach Bryan has landed in hot water over his latest anti-ICE song. He shared a short preview of the track, Bad News, on Instagram on October 3.

The singer used a symbolic caption for the post, "thе fading of the red, white and blue", denoting the current state of America. He voiced his denunciation of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining people under Donald Trump's administration.

Zach's snippet has visibly offended conservatives and MAGA individuals, leading many to call for the musician to be cancelled. Several Trump supporters took to X to write 'boycott Zach Bryan' while accusing the Grammy winner of going woke. The surge in such posts led the phrase to trend online.

Country singer Zach Bryan condemns ICE raids in new song teaser, “Bad News”:

“ICE is gonna come bust down your door / Try to build a house, no bills no more, well I got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone […] The fading of the red, white and blue.” pic.twitter.com/BctZrHgEyQ

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 6, 2025

"We have boycotted Zach Bryan. If any of our employees play his music in our office, they are fired immediately", posted an X account.

"Buh bye 👋🏼 Zach Bryan. Bryan has now lost most of his audience. Go woke, you go broke", wrote another user.

"Zach is just a Woke singer who tries to be country but isn't. He doesn't have American values nor does he respect the country", claimed one more.

Despite the backlash from the MAGA crowd, Zach received support from others, who praised the singer for speaking out against ICE agents through his music.

"Swifties, Democrats, and all true patriots, whatever Zach Bryan sells, we buy and stream", wrote one person.

"Whether you agree or not, Zach Bryan just touched a topic most artists are too scared to talk about. This one’s gonna spark real conversations", said another.

"Hold on Zach I didn’t know you rocked like that. Lemme stream your music", resonated one more.

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Zach Bryan hits a nerve with his anti-ICE song

Zach seemingly called the ICE police "out of town boys", as the lyrics of Bad News go:

"Didn't wake up dead or in jail/ Some out-of-town boys been giving us hell/ I got some bad news, I woke up missing you"

The singer continued:

"My friends are all degenerates but they're all I've got/ The generational story of dropping the plot/ I heard the cops came, c*cky motherf*ckers, ain't they?"

Referring to several parents being separated from their children due to ICE detentions, Zach sang:

"And ICE is gonna come bust down your door/ To try and build a house no one builds no more, but I got a telephone/ Kids are all scared and all alone"

The preview ended with Zach referring to the colors of the United States national flag:

"The bar stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling/ The middlе fingers rising and it won't stop showing/ Got some bad news, thе fading of the red, white and blue"

Many claimed Zach might get the Bud Light treatment over his anti-ICE song. In 2023, conservatives mass-boycotted Bud Light after the company collaborated with transgender actor and influencer Dylan Mulvaney.