Mediaite Founding Editor Colby Hall praised breakout country music star Oliver Anthony for staying true to his own message despite attempts to make him a source of public controversy.
Hall joined Dan Abrams on Tuesday night — as the Mediaite founder devoted a segment of his NewsNation show on the sociopolitical debate surrounding Anthony. While bipartisan pundits and media outlets clamored over “Rich Men North of Richmond” as it rocketed up to the top of the charts, Abrams noted that Anthony has rejected the prospect of a lucrative music deal, and has kept his distance from politics while urging unity over public division.
Hall broke down how many on the Right and the Left both launched into over-the-top reactions without accounting for the apolitical way in which Anthony is publicly presenting himself.
That’s the first song he’d recorded on his professional mic. He uploaded the song two weeks ago, and now he’s got the number one song on Billboard, and immediately was used as a cudgel by both. First, the Right, to hit Bidenomics. And then the Left, without even apparently listening to the song, he’s started talking about fake and phony populism, which is not an unfair quote. But to find so much meaning in a simple song. This guy doesn’t seem to be have any agenda other than to authentically explain how he and his ilk and the miners are having a hard time.
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“He’d be a multi-millionaire a few times over if he got into the Fox right-of-center promotional machine, and he said no,” Hall said. “That, to me, is something we haven’t seen in forever, and is laudable on its own.”
The conversation continued with Hall and Abrams dissecting how Anthony is being forced into the political arena despite his clear reluctance to get involved in that.
Watch above via NewsNation.