The 2025 American Music Awards went off without a hitch on Monday, May 26, but that doesn't mean it wasn't without its awkward moments. The most awkward of the night went to Shaboozey and Megan Moroney. Now Shaboozey is responding to his viral AMA moment on Twitter, taking the opportunity to give fans a little lesson on the history of country music.

The awkward moment, ICYMI, happened when Shaboozey and Megan took to the stage to present the award for Best Country Duo or Group. “Country music has been an important part of AMA history,” Shaboozey said. “The very first year of this show, the award for Favorite Male Country Artist went to the great Charley Pride.” Megan then took over, adding, “That same year, Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson. And this award went to the Carter family, who basically invented country music.”

It was that last comment about the Carter family inventing country music that earned an eye roll into a side-eye and squint of confusion from Shaboozey who laughed after an awkward pause before continuing. His reaction quickly went viral and, IMO, will definitely earn the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer a place in the country meme hall of fame.

Thanks in part to Beyoncé and her Cowboy Carter collaborators, including artists like Shaboozey, the contributions of Black country artists are being increasingly celebrated in the mainstream. And given all the discourse about who really originated country music and the genre's history of discounting Black performers, Shaboozey's reaction isn't exactly surprising.

The singer addressed his eye roll/side eye move on X following the awards, writing, “When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased...”

He followed that up with a second, more diplomatic message: “The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.”

Megan has not publicly commented on the viral clip, but as the moment continued to make headlines, Shaboozey wanted to make it clear that there was no bad blood between the two singers. “My reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney! She's an incredibly talented, hard-working artist who's doing amazing things for country music and I've got nothing but respect for her,” he wrote in a comment on one of her Instagram posts. “I've seen some hateful comments directed at her today, and that's not what this moment was about. Let's not twist the message—she is amazing and someone who represents the country community in the highest light!”

While I can't be sure, based on the clip, it does sound like Megan was reading off a teleprompter, which suggests she had no hand in writing it at all. She just had the bad luck of having to say it.