Watch Shaboozey’s viral reaction to Megan Moroney’s claims the Carter family invented country music at AMAs

Shaboozey has gone viral for his response to Megan Moroney‘s claims that the Carter family invented country music at AMAs. Check it out below.

The moment took place last night (May 26) during the 2025 edition of the American Music Awards. During the ceremony, the two singers took to the stage to present the award in the Favourite Country Duo Or Group category, although one of the comments made by Moroney seemed to catch Shazboozey off-guard.

“Country music has been an important part of AMA history,” the latter began. “The very first year of this show, the award for Favourite Male Country Artist went to the great Charlie Pride.”

Moroney continued: “That same year, Favourite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson, and this award went to the Carter family, who basically invented country music.”

It was there where the singer gave her a quick side-eye, and briefly paused to process what she said. He then let out a laugh before presenting the nominees. It was Dan + Shay who won in the category, and you can check out the viral clip below.

The Carter Family are an American folk group that rose to fame in the 1920s and remained to be hugely influential throughout the ‘30s and ‘40s. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum describes them as “the first family of country music”, and their hit songs included ‘Keep on the Sunny Side’, ‘Wildwood Flower’, ‘Can The Circle Be Unbroken’ and ‘Wabash Cannonball’.

As highlighted by The Tennessean, the quick side-eye from Shaboozey may have come in relation to how many tie the genre’s roots back to long before the 20th century. It writes that it may be with the “banjo being a West African musical instrument that, as far back as the 17th century, gained renown when Black Africans were first brought to the Americas as enslaved people”.

Deadline, on the other hand, suggested that it may have come from a misunderstanding, with the ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ singer potentially believing that Moroney was referring to Beyoncé and her ‘Cowboy Carter’ era. The 2024 album has seen the singer win multiple awards for country music – including two AMAs –and her latest run of live shows has included appearances from her daughters, which may have led to Shaboozey thinking that the comments were praise for the ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ singer.

Elsewhere at the 2025 ceremony, Rod Stewart was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award, Janet Jackson received the Icon Award, and Zac Brown was presented with the inaugural Veterans Voice Award. See the full list of winners here. 

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