Country singer Josh Ross hails from Burlington, ON, and he's among the performers at the official Canada Day concert in Ottawa. He's now being met with backlash from Canadian fans, however, following pro-American comments in which he called the US the "best fucking country in the world."
UPDATE (6/23, 3:35 p.m. ET): Ross has now responded the controversy surrounding his comments by posting an apology video to TikTok. In the video, he says, "I'm sorry to anyone who's offended by what I said. I'm grateful I get to tour all over the world, and I feel like I'm always representing Canada no matter where I go. I'm born and raised in Canada, but I've been living in Nashville for the last five-plus years. Half of my family lives in Canada, the other half is here in the US, and I'm as proud of estashing myself in the US as I am being Canadian. Both sides were not communicated in the clip that you guys are seeing, and I'm sorry that that wasn't clear."
That clip, as well as the original one that started the controversy, are below.
Earlier this month, Ross performed at Tailgate n' Tallboys, a country music festival in Bloomington, IL. During the show, he held up an American flag and told the crowd (in what sounds suspiciously like a fake Southern drawl), "Fun fact, real quick: I'm Canadian. You wanna know the best fun fact? I moved to the best fucking country in the world and I love it very much, so thank you very much."
He then led the crowd in a "USA! USA! USA!" chant.
Footage of these comments was posted on TikTok by user @amamabear324, and the comments have been flooded by people slamming Ross for his seeming anti-Canada stance.
Just a few months ago, Ross won the JUNO Award for Country Music Album of the Year and said during the ceremony, "I am proud to be Canadian, and I think it's time to get back to our roots and remember that friends are better than enemies."
Watch the clip below. Thanks to the anonymous Exclaim! reader for the tip.