Zach Bryan has shut down his Twitter/X account after making a controversial statement in which he expressed a preference for Kanye West over Taylor Swift while intoxicated. On Tuesday night, the singer, a known supporter of the Philadelphia Eagles, tweeted, “eagles > chiefs Kanye > Taylor who’s with me.”
This tweet quickly drew criticism from Swift’s fans, prompting Bryan to clarify in a follow-up tweet the next day that he had made the remark while “drunkenly” listening to Swift’s song “Thank You Aimee,” which critiques Kanye West and his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.
“I love Taylor, was listening to TTPD last night and thank you aimee came on and I drunkenly tweeted about Kanye,” Bryan wrote. “If anyone took it serious please know I love both artists a lot and think we’re in a really beautiful time of music.”
Despite his explanation, Bryan decided to deactivate his Twitter/X account, which remained inactive as of Thursday morning. He did, however, take to Instagram to address the situation further. In his Stories, he issued a lengthy statement alongside an audio clip of Swift’s “Fortnight,” aiming to ease the tension.
“For the record guys, I wasn’t coming for Taylor the other night,” he said. “I was drunkenly comparing two records and it came out wrong. I know there’s a lot of stuff that clouds around Ye, and I was speaking purely musically. I love Taylor’s music and pray you guys know I’m human and tweet stupid things often. Hope one day I can explain to her.”
He also mentioned that he finds Twitter to be troublesome, stating, “Twitter gets me in trouble too much and I’d say it’s best I stay off it. I’m sorry to any Taylor fans I pissed off or let down. Love you guys and I’m trying my best!”
In another Story, set to the background of Swift’s “The Albatross,” Bryan expressed his admiration for Swift, calling her “a force of nature” and confirming his decision to take a break from Twitter/X. He concluded with a reminder, “Don’t drink and tweet!!”