Josh Ross Apologizes To Canadian Fans

Canadian country artist Josh Ross has found himself in the middle of some unexpected controversy after a moment on stage in the U.S. didn’t sit well with many of his fans back home.

It happened June 13th at the Tailgate N’ Tallboys festival in Bloomington, Indiana.

During his set, Ross took a moment between songs, waved an American flag, and told the crowd,

“Fun fact—real quick—I’m Canadian… I moved to the best [bleep] country in the world, and I love America!”

The crowd roared and broke into a loud “USA! USA!” chant, and Ross tossed the flag out to fans.

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The moment went viral on social media, and it didn’t land well with everyone, especially his Canadian audience. Some saw it as a slap in the face to the country that raised him.

One fan tweeted, “Canadians supported you from the beginning and were proud to have you represent our flag. Disappointing.” Another posted, “Keep him. You can have him, lol—we don’t want him.”

As the backlash grew, Ross took to TikTok with a video to clear the air.

He said he’s proud to be Canadian, and also proud of the life he’s built in the U.S., where he’s lived for more than five years. He explained that the clip making the rounds was just a small moment without any context, and that he never meant to insult Canada.

“I feel like I’m always representing Canada no matter where I go… I’ve got family on both sides of the border, and I love both countries.”

[tiktok url=”https://www.tiktok.com/@joshrossmusic/video/7519225178182700343″]

Despite the stir, Ross is still set to perform on the national stage—he’s on the lineup for the official Canada Day concert in Ottawa, organized by Heritage Canada.

Earlier this year, Ross also won Country Album of the Year at the Junos and used his moment on stage to say, “Friends are better than enemies,” and reminded fans how proud he is to be Canadian.

So, whether you think it was a heat-of-the-moment misstep or just a proud shoutout to where he lives now, one thing’s for sure—Josh Ross has everyone talking, and all eyes will be on his Canada Day performance in Ottawa.

Categorised in: Country Music News

This post was written by Cheryl Johnstone