Florida Georgia Line Calls Out Bobby Bones Over His “ANTI” Bobby Bones Billboards
iHeartMedia über morning show DJ Bobby Bones apparently has a new enemy. Or actually, two of them, in the form of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelly of the Bro-Country super duo Florida Georgia Line. Though on the surface you might surmise that Bobby Bones and Florida Georgia Line would be brothers in arms, that’s apparently not the case.
On Tuesday (6-7), Florida Georgia Line stopped by the SiriusXM Music City Theatre in Nashville that sits atop the tower on the Bridgestone Arena for a live acoustic performance. The duo is in town for this week’s CMA Music Fest, and the CMT Awards which will be held at the Bridgestone Arena Wednesday evening. During the performance on on SiriusXM’s pop country station The Highway, the “Go Away Bobby Bones” billboards that Bobby Bones has now admitted to paying for to help create sympathy for himself and his show were inadvertently brought up in a Q&A with SiriusXM DJ Storme Warren.
“You guys have always been in the crosshairs of controversy,” says Storme Warren during the Q&A. “You didn’t bring it on yourselves. Or you did, I don’t know. But people just love firing stuff at you …”
Storme Warren was prefacing a question about Florida Georgia Line’s new single “H.O.L.Y” and how some have called the song blasphemy. But that’s not the direction Tyler Hubbard decided to take it, and instead used the setup to take a dig at Bobby Bones.
“We didn’t put a billboard on the Interstate,” Tyler Hubbard interrupts, as the crowd moans and laughs, slowly realizing that Bobby Bones is the subject of Hubbard’s ire.
“Wow!” says DJ Storme Warren in response. “That was fantastic!”
“I don’t know why I just said that,” Hubbard mumbled before the conversation turned to the controversy surrounding “H.O.L.Y.” The exchange can been seen in the video below, at roughly the 6:50 mark.
In his recent book Bare Bones, Bobby admits that he spent $13,000 on an anti-publicity campaign against himself when he first came to Nashville, paying $2,150 a pop for multiple “Go Away Bobby Bones” billboards.
“Everyone who considered himself a real defender of country music hated me,” Bones says. “My attitude was, ‘This is how it’s going to work. I’m playing whatever I want to play. I’m doing the bits I want to do. I don’t wear cowboy boots or hats or belt buckles. I am not you; I am me … My attitude wasn’t winning me any friends — or listeners. I needed to get people to like me, or at least feel sorry for me … I launched a massive negative PR campaign against myself to garner sympathy.”
The billboards were seen as a shallow move by many of Bobby Bones’ detractors, but apparently even people inside the Music City beltway feel similar. Bones has also apparently been taking playful jabs at Florida Georgia Line on his show recently.
Later Tuesday afternoon, Bobby Bones responded on Twitter, “Guys. I really don’t care what Florida Georgia Line says about me in an interview. I don’t take stuff personally. I respect their music. Keepin it +”
This is not the only beef Bobby Bones has stoked with a performing artist. Bones continues to have an icy relationship with Chris Young, he once got in a strange altercation with Texas country artist Aaron Watson and accused Watson of being disrespectful to women, and Bobby’s bouts with Kacey Musgraves have been well-documented.
Both Bones and Florida Georgia Line are scheduled to appear at Wednesday’s CMT Awards.
June 7, 2016 @ 5:51 pm
Florida Georgia line still blows but I did get a decent laugh out of that remark.
June 7, 2016 @ 6:00 pm
It would be crazy to see FGL get in a full on celebrity feud with Bobby Bones. What side would pop country fans take? What if he stopped playing them on his show and they couldn’t get #1’s anymore? It would be madness!
June 8, 2016 @ 6:38 am
Well, for me, it would look like a bloodbath in which I hope BOTH sides lose.
June 7, 2016 @ 6:09 pm
If only FGL was that witty in their music, I might listen to them. 🙂
June 7, 2016 @ 6:18 pm
Does anyone actually like this guy?
June 8, 2016 @ 11:50 am
YEP!! He rocks, give him a chance you will feel the same : )
June 28, 2016 @ 6:40 am
I can’t believe he did this… I’m h wait yes I can. Anyone who says “I’m just keeping it real” 10’times in a show, isn’t “keeping it real.” This just proves it! Bobby Bones is a joke!
June 19, 2021 @ 8:10 am
Can’t stand this Bobby Bones fuck wish he would just fuck off & go away.
June 7, 2016 @ 6:36 pm
Bobby is such a priss. Total city slicker jock trying to act like he’s some country dude by broadcasting a “country” show. He truly is a despicable individual.
June 7, 2016 @ 7:55 pm
And you personally know him FGL has gotten sensitive over the Bro Country tag that’s their problem .All the charities that Bobby Bones show helps like St Jude and all the natural disasters they help you need to know about him or just shut up
June 7, 2016 @ 8:52 pm
Fuck his charities, brah. They were fine before him, they’ll be fine after.
Side note: your standards are really, really weird. He’s horrible at his chosen profession and admitted to manipulating people for money, but he threw a whore’s tip at some charities so he’s all good. Weird standards, dude.
June 8, 2016 @ 2:19 am
Let it go, Jim. Trying to talk logic and common sense with these people is a fight you’re never gonna win. It’s like playing chess with a pigeon.
June 9, 2016 @ 5:09 am
No matter how much I dislike Bobby, that statement is stupid. I don’t think one single dime raised for charities such as St Jude’s and others should ever be minimalized. I can dislike the guy, but recognize things that are good for society.
June 9, 2016 @ 1:48 pm
I love listening to The Bobby Bones Show and won’t listen any other. There are things he says at times I don’t agree with, but he is a rel guy who says truth and that’s what this world needs. FGL sing songs about getting drunk and getting girls stuff I don’t want my kids doing themselves. They have like two good true songs and that’s it. Why didn’t they take a shot at maddie & tae when they put out that song about them?
June 9, 2016 @ 4:34 pm
Uh, they kinda did.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/florida-georgia-line-is-apparently-not-happy-about-girl-in-a-country-song/
“All I’m gonna say about that is, I don’t know one girl who doesn’t want to be a girl in a country song. That’s all I’m gonna say to you. That’s it.”
June 8, 2016 @ 6:47 am
City slicker? It doesn’t get any more country than growing up in rural Arkansas in a trailer park. Bobby has risen above his past circumstances to even care what 2 Florida Georgia Line boys think of him!
June 8, 2016 @ 7:44 pm
Be careful, he might put that comment on a billboard.
June 7, 2016 @ 6:55 pm
That was just awkward and uncomfortable… Kind of seems like he wanted to make a scene but lost his nerve.
June 7, 2016 @ 7:22 pm
Trigger, the only image of Bobby Bones you’re allowed to use is this one, since it captures his true essence:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/bobby-bones.jpg
June 7, 2016 @ 7:24 pm
At least he doesn’t have a sex tape. I hope…
June 7, 2016 @ 8:29 pm
Just once I’d like to see a station that’s not Rock or Heavy Metal pick up Lex and Terry, some of their staff people might be annoying but at least they try to make it actually funny.
June 7, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
I’m embarrassed he’s from Arkansas.
June 8, 2016 @ 12:06 am
That will be the greatest hit of their career.
June 8, 2016 @ 4:30 am
You can never get back the hour of your life it took to you to put this piece together.
June 8, 2016 @ 9:21 am
I have been following the career of Bobby Bones from the very beginning when he entered country music, sensing his impact on the genre could be massive. In the last few years, that theory has been realized almost more than I was initially worried about. Bobby Bones can literally make or break careers by the decisions he makes, the music he plays, and what he says. He is also very unpopular among many people, including his peers in radio, and certain artists. To have evidence that one of the biggest acts in mainstream music at the moment appears to not like him either I think offers incredible insight, and is important to understanding Bobby Bones’ place in country.
June 8, 2016 @ 1:22 pm
Question: How can Bones make or break careers by the decisions he makes or the music he plays? I thought he was a low man on the totem pole taking orders from the higher ups.
May 29, 2021 @ 7:15 pm
One of the BIGGEST acts in mainstream music ?
You are out of your mind.
May 29, 2021 @ 7:51 pm
That comment was written five years ago next week. It’s still probably true to some extent, though Florida Georgia Line has definitely fallen off recently. In June of 2016, it was 100% true.
June 8, 2016 @ 5:21 am
Kinda like sicking the raptors on the T-Rex.
June 8, 2016 @ 6:58 am
Bobby Bones helped launch the careers of so many country artists. When you are being asked a question about yourself you should make the answer about yourself and not deflect the question by taking a stab at someone else! It was a cheap shot. Props to Bobby for taking ownership of what he did and being real enough to share the good, the bad and the ugly in his book!
June 8, 2016 @ 8:12 am
Most of the careers of “artists” that he’s launched have been those that are examples of what’s wrong in country today. Sure, he does good things like charity donations (but so do lots of other people) and it’s good, I guess, that he was honest about the billboards eventually. But to me those are just weird and pathetic, and so is Bobby Bones for acting like he’s some kind of country music royalty when even people like FGL see him as the joke he is
June 8, 2016 @ 9:13 am
I’m sure that he wasn’t motivated at all to “come clean” and drum up some controversy around his book in the hopes of increasing sales. Nope, I bet that wasn’t it at all…..
June 8, 2016 @ 11:28 am
This is probably the cranky old man brewing inside me, but I’m tired of almost all DJs and their tired acts. Current DJs are doing the same stuff they did in the 80s. They just annoy me and I just want them to get to the music. Anymore, I just play downloaded music and stay off my radio.
June 8, 2016 @ 1:25 pm
The only way anyone wins from this is if CMT revamps an MTV idea (nothing new) and airs “Country Celebrity Deathmatch” with the real people appearing as themselves and issued real ammo to deal with each other and when the real fear seeps into their conscious and either of them puss out, cut to Vince Gill off to side ring to blow them both up.
June 8, 2016 @ 1:40 pm
Losers that put out crap music. Oh Well, talk crap on another band. I dare you!
June 8, 2016 @ 2:28 pm
I love Bobby Bones and the morning crew. I listen to them every morning on my way to work and it puts me in the best mood because they are all funny. Who really cares that he put up some billboards?? Haven’t we all done something stupid or embarrassing before? Anyway, I guess haters are going to hate!! Sorry not sorry but he cracks me up and I like him. FGL made a jab, Bobby took it like a man and didn’t retaliate….We should all move on and take the high road!!
June 8, 2016 @ 7:06 pm
Pillow fight at best between multiple dewshes Not country. Not country.
June 8, 2016 @ 7:15 pm
you guys probably wouldnt be anything without boby bones.
June 9, 2016 @ 10:18 am
This might be the most bizarre comment I’ve ever read anywhere.
June 8, 2016 @ 7:32 pm
When Bobby Bones blocked me on Twitter (I didn’t even follow him – maybe that contributed) for politely calling him out on why in the world he would encourage binge drinking on his St. Patrick’s Day morning show when his mother struggled with alcohol and addiction, it just confirmed my suspicions that he’s no one who I’d have any desire to be around, and the fact that he paid for the billboards himself didn’t surprise me. I have no problem boosting up people who have low self-esteem, but those who truly need to be boosted don’t play the games Bobby does. It’s a shame, really, because I don’t think Bobby even knows who he truly is, and that must be a very sad existence when you’re all by yourself.
Not a fan of FGL, and I’m not surprised they’re getting backlash about this latest song, but it is pretty refreshing to hear that he made that comment. Guess even if I listened to the BB Show, I wouldn’t have to worry about stumbling into a live performance by FGL. 🙂
June 8, 2016 @ 9:01 pm
I don’t think Bobby Bones is a bad person. Saying that he probably doesn’t know who he truly is, is a great way of putting it. There’s nothing wrong with being unpopular. Hell I’ve made a living at that. And there’s nothing wrong with being weird. But Bobby spends so much time talking out of both sides of his moth and dealing with his own insecurities publicly, you almost feel embarrassed for him. At the same time, he’s wildly successful at what he does as far as pay and recognition. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m intrigued by what makes the dude tick, even though I can’t stand to listen to 10 minutes of his show.
June 8, 2016 @ 9:47 pm
There are a few things about Bobby Bones that make me think he does have a good heart somewhere in there. Although I think he talks about contributing to charities too much in a “pat himself on the back” kind of way (which always rubs me wrong when I see anyone do that), he does contribute, and he uses his platform to get others to contribute. He evidently talks about joy and sharing good things on his show, and who doesn’t need to be reminded there are things to smile about in the world? He appears to be loyal to his friends, which is important in this dog eat dog world.
But then when I see him sic his Twitter followers on someone who rubs him the wrong way (radio personalities is one I really shook my head at), and some of the other things he’s done, well, the good kinda gets negated by the bad, and that talking out of both sides of his mouth is the part I would choose not to be around.
I think there comes a time when you have to confront who you are as a person, and if I thought him talking about his insecurities publicly would lead him in that direction, I’d be all for it. Instead, I fear he’s looking for approval or sympathy or validation or … well, I’m not sure exactly what he’s looking for, but he needs to look for that from inside rather than from yes men and faceless strangers.
I look for authenticity in someone, and I just haven’t seen that in him. Doesn’t matter if someone’s the most popular or unpopular person in the world, the weirdest or coolest person in the world, or the best or worst looking person in the world, to me, authenticity is what I pay attention to. If I don’t see it, meh … I hope he does find himself some day. He may (or may not) be surprised with what he finds.
June 8, 2016 @ 7:43 pm
When you’re such an asshole that even Florida Georgia Line is calling you out…
June 9, 2016 @ 3:41 pm
Anybody care to fill me in with an SCM-approved take on what happened between Bones and Chris Young? Or was that a publicity move as well?
June 10, 2016 @ 7:13 am
Ok I’m from Arkansas. So the ppl that r talking shit about bobby. Get over it he did what he did and he is famous for doing it. So get over it. And for fgl I like the guys. I do. But the don’t have that many hits. So get over urselfs to. No body cares. If ya were in his shoes then I no 50% of everyone would have done it. And wouldn’t care. It takes alot for someone to come and do what he did after ppl talking shit. So y not make fun of it. All I’m going to say is ” go bobby bones do ya thing.” O and fgl u forget if it wasn’t for bobby playing ur music u wouldnt be were ya r today. So don’t go talking shit when he doesn’t have to play ur music. No one does .
June 12, 2016 @ 12:07 pm
Ms. 5077….
What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response was there anything that was even close to what could be considered a rational thought. And EVERYONE on this message board is now dumber for having read it.
I award you no points. And may God have mercy on your soul.
June 13, 2016 @ 3:35 am
And I don’t care what u think. Freedom of speech. U can say what u want and I can to so can everyone else. But what it sounds like to me is ur just a troll. That come on the bord and downs alot of ppl. So god bless and have a nice day.
June 18, 2016 @ 11:14 am
*You
*You’re
*board
* a lot
Take your L, please