Zach Bryan has been caught on video unleashing a homophobic slur.
The country music star, who is due to headline two-sold out shows at BST Hyde Park this summer, was at a bar in New York City on Monday when he got into a heated exchange with other patrons.
The incident was captured on camera with a pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses after the person filming invited the singer and his friends to join his group for a game of pool around midnight.
After playing three rounds and losing, witnesses have claimed the 28-year-old lost his temper and ‘changed on the drop of a dime’.
As the situation escalated, one of the people there was heard telling the musician they were ‘not trying to record you’re a**’.
‘I’m trying to record my s**t with my friends, for memories that I want to have, to have fun and you’re just being a d****e,’ they said, as reported by TMZ, which obtained the video.
‘Like you’re seriously just being a d***,’ they added.
Hitting back, Bryan replied: ‘That’s the gayest thing I’ve ever heard.’
As the group questioned Bryan’s response, asking ‘why is that gay’, he walked away.
Earlier in the video, Bryan took aim at the patron’s glasses, saying he wanted to ‘rip them off your face so bad’ and briefly lifting his balled fist into the air.
Then trying on the glasses himself, he could be heard saying: ‘You’re gonna see some terrible things tonight.’
Following the verbal altercation, Bryan’s friends paid the bar tab and left with him.
TMZ also reported that other people at the bar said that while Bryan and his friends had repeatedly asked not to be filmed, their requests were ignored.
Hailing from Oklahoma, Bryan’s third album American Heartbreak peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 following its release in 2022. It’s since been followed by the self-titled Zach Bryan and The Great American Bar Scene.
The musician has so far sold over 30 million albums and singles and has won an Academy Award of Country Music Award, a Grammy Award and four Billboard Music Awards.
Last year he came under fire from ex-girlfriend, podcaster Brianna Chickenfry, who said his statement announcing their split after 15 months of dating had ‘blindsiding’ her.
‘She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I’ll always thank her. I have had an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things,’ he wrote.
‘I am not perfect and never will be. Please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, mine too.’
‘With everything I am and to anyone I let down, I am sorry. I try my best in everything. I failed people that love me and mostly myself.’
She went on to accuse him of being ‘abusive’ and claimed his team had offered her $12 million to sign a non-disclosure agreement – which she rejected.
Metro has contacted BST Hyde Park and representatives for Zach Bryan for comment.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
