Billy Ray Cyrus’ Son, Trace, Apologizes To Jason Aldean For His Rant Against “Try That In A Small Town” – “Still Hate The Song, But I Want To Apologize”

That’s a back-handed apology if I’ve ever seen one.

Trace Cyrus has really been on a heater in 2025. For those that don’t know, Trace is actually the adopted son of Billy Ray Cyrus. His ex-wife Tish Cyrus had him, along with his sister Brandi, in a previous relationship and when they got married, Billy Ray adopted both of them. As a young child, he apparently used to look up to Billy Ray Cyrus, but since his mother and Billy Ray Cyrus separated, and as he’s gotten older, that luster has seemed to wear off.

Prior to his recent anti-Jason-Aldean post, much of Trace’s criticism that he’s posted online has been directed at his father. After Billy Ray performed at the President Trump’s Inaugural Ball earlier this year, Trace posted seemingly from a place of love pleading for his father to get help. Trace’s tone changed big time in his most recent Instagram post about his father, in which he ripped Billy Ray Cyrus and called the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer washed up:

“This man is so hungry for fame, it’s pathetic. He really flew to Italy for a fashion show but wouldn’t come to LA for Mammie’s funeral while he was still married to my mom. Even after his daughter got him a 60K private jet like he demanded, he still didn’t come even after the plane was paid for.

You’re the lamest man to ever walk planet Earth. Honestly embarrassed to ever have considered you my idol. The best thing to come from your downfall is it made me go into beast mode. I refuse to be a washed up, delusional, evil person when I’m old like you. Christ is King. Get right with God. You need it.”

Being open about his feelings is clearly not an issue for the son of Billy Ray Cyrus. If that’s not obvious from the above message that Trace directed at his father, then allow me to present another situation where the 36-year-old got fired up about something and immediately decided to share it with the social media world.

This time around, when Trace Cyrus took to his Instagram story, Billy Ray Cyrus was not the target of criticism. Instead, country music star Jason Aldean was at the wrong end of a Trace Cyrus rant, and it all revolved around the 2023 song “Try That In A Small Town.” Trace is an artist himself, and he was evidently upset that his music isn’t getting airplay on the radio, and Aldean’s song is:

“Guys, I was just sitting in my kitchen and this stupid song came on the radio. Remember this went viral? And everyone knows, like I’m as patriotic as it gets. I love Trump and America and all that, but listen to how stupid this is. Like, this is what’s on the radio, and the song (of mine) that I been talking about all night, like no one is really listening to. But like this is what’s popular.”

I don’t know why the stupid station was playing that stupid carjacking on a sidewalk song… what station is this? Like 95.5, like replace that song right now with ‘On the Run,’ because that song is trash for real. I’m not trying to like completely destroy Jason Aldean’s soul right now, but no one wants to hear that on the radio.

That is obviously paid for to be on the radio or something, and the fact that they shut down the Columbia town square to shoot that video, and I literally had my girl shoot my video on my iPhone and then I edited it myself and my video is cooler than his stupid video. Like, this is how dumb these record labels are, guys… They are still putting s**t like this on country radio and nobody wants to hear it.”

Safe to say that Trace Cyrus is the jealous type.

To be clear, Jason Aldean has certainly found favor with more Conservative fans lately, and it sounds like Trace leans pretty heavy that way too. He’s a big fan of Candace Owens and Joe Rogan, so I’d say that rant isn’t coming from a place of politics… even though “Try That In A Small Town” does have some political theming to it.

It seems like Trace Cyrus is more fed up with the song than he is Jason Aldean, and that was made clear in his apology that he shared on his Instagram story on Monday…. if you could call it an apology. The 36-year-old artist once again took to social media to speak his mind, this time offering up a strange sorry and studio invitation to Aldean:

“Yo guys… I still hate the f**king song, but I want to apologize to Jason Aldean. I really am trying to become a better Christian, and a lot of his fans were DM-ing me. I felt bad, so I’m sorry. God bless you. If you ever want to get in the studio and have me write a song for you, just hit me up.”

Nothing like saying you hate someone’s song, only to then turn around and say you’d like to write a song with them if they’ll have you. To quote the iconic Pepper Brooks line from the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, “that’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for ’em.”

Something tells me that Jason Aldean won’t be jumping at the bit to get in the studio with Billy Ray’s son…The post Billy Ray Cyrus’ Son, Trace, Apologizes To Jason Aldean For His Rant Against “Try That In A Small Town” – “Still Hate The Song, But I Want To Apologize” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.