Keith Urban's 2025 CMA Performance Gets Overshadowed By Donald Trump Controversy
Keith Urban would be forgiven for assuming that his contentious divorce from Nicole Kidman would eclipse his performance at the Country Music Association Awards on November 19. However, people actually couldn't stop talking about his shocking appearance at a Mar-a-Lago party earlier this week, sparking a rumor about Urban's political affiliation. A video of the Australian country singer belting Chappell Roan's LGBTQ+ anthem "Pink Pony Club" at Donald Trump's estate went viral after Florida-based real estate agent Tali Israel posted the clip on Instagram. While some people were ecstatic to hear that Urban and Trump were in the same room, others were disappointed with the musician.
"I've totally lost all respect for Keith Urban," one person asserted on X (formerly Twitter). "Keith Urban being M@GA sure wasn't on my 2025 bingo card," wrote someone else. Others even praised Kidman for getting out of their relationship. Audiences watching the CMAs at home also took to social media to actively protest Urban when he took the stage to sing "Where the Blacktop Ends" with Lainey Wilson. "Not a Keith Urban fan. Gonna watch #SouthernComfort on @BravoTV. Buh bye," an X user ranted, while others simply booed.
Some fans think Urban's Mar-a-Lago performance was ironic
Chappell Roan fans condemned Keith Urban, assuming he completely missed the message of "Pink Pony Club," which was played on repeat during Pride Month; it's a song about a woman moving to Los Angeles and finding solace in her queer identity at a nightclub. However, others believed Urban intentionally performed a gay anthem at a MAGA party. "Keith Urban low key trolled the MAGA crowd at Mar A Lago by playing Pink Pony Club without most of them realizing they got trolled," one user wrote under the original Instagram post, adding, "Take that paycheck Keith Urban!"
The "Blue Ain't Your Color" hitmaker has covered Roan's song several times before. After performing "Pink Pony Club" in a session with MuchMusic in April, Urban said, "God, when I heard that song ... I just almost cried, 'cause I'm like, 'Who doesn't want to find a safe place?' ... It doesn't matter what that is, just somewhere where you finally realize you belong there." It seems like Urban understands exactly what the song captures, which could mean there's an argument for Urban being the Mar-a-Lago party's provocateur.