Kid Rock appears to cave to critics of Eminem collaboration — then hits 'em with the punch line
Kid Rock says critics on both sides of the political divide don't want him working with Eminem.
The outspoken Trump supporter recently announced a collaboration with his longtime friend and fellow Detroit musician, who can't stand the president. But after receiving backlash over the pairing, Kid Rock announced that Eminem would no longer appear on the track.
'It will probably not make you very happy to hear ...'
Hate mile
There was a catch, however.
Kid Rock (Robert Ritchie) and Eminem (Marshall Mathers) go back decades, long before politics put them on opposite sides of the Trump divide.
Eminem hammered Trump in a 2017 freestyle, the first of several public attacks over the years that followed.
Eminem was originally set to appear on "7 Sins," a track from Kid Rock's upcoming album, "Halfway 2 Jesus." But on Wednesday, Kid Rock announced a change.
"There's been some people on the internet and whatnot, like there always is, that don't seem to be too thrilled about my old friend of almost 40 years, Eminem, doing a song with me on my new album," Kid Rock said in a video.
"You folks will probably be happy to hear that he's no longer on '7 Sins.'"
But Rock quickly added some bad news for all those politics-obsessed busybodies: Rapper Lil Wayne will replace Eminem on "7 Sins," while Eminem will appear on another song, "Heal My Faith," on the same album.
"It will probably not make you very happy to hear that Eminem is still on the album. He's just on another song now," Kid Rock said, pointing to his updated track listing.
Kid Rock had recently said that despite their political differences, he still respects Eminem, as well as artists like Taylor Swift, for standing up for what they believe in.
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Potty-mouthed pals
"We said years ago, we said, 'Man, let's not let politics divide us.' And we never did. And so when I asked him to be part of this ... he totally got it," Kid Rock told Fox News in an interview.
"Two little foul-mouthed white rappers from Detroit maybe could set a good example for the rest of this country," he added.
Ritchie called Eminem a "class act" and said political differences are part of what makes the United States a great country. He added, however, that he doesn't believe artists should turn their concerts into political events.
Metallica singer James Hetfield recently expressed a similar sentiment, telling fans in Las Vegas that his band wanted to bring people together to forget about the outside world, rather than make them pay to hear a political discussion at a rock concert.
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Nature is healing
Ritchie and Mathers reportedly met in Detroit's rap scene in the early 1990s. Despite some initial friction, the two grew to respect each other.
Kid Rock's 1998 breakout album, "Devil Without a Cause," eventually sold more than 14 million copies and featured a then-little-known Eminem on the song "F*** Off." The two have not collaborated on a released track since.
In his 2018 song "The Ringer," Eminem admitted he had been "watchin' my fan base shrink to thirds" following his attacks on Trump.
In his original 2017 freestyle, Eminem drew a line "in the sand," effectively telling fans they had to choose between him and Trump. But in "The Ringer," he appeared to have second thoughts, asking, "Was it even worth it?"
Eminem has continued to criticize Trump, although his political commentary has become less central to his music.
Kid Rock, meanwhile, has increasingly embraced both his Christian faith and conservative politics, the latter reflected in songs like "We the People."
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Hegseth delivers verdict on military helicopter pilots' flyover at Kid Rock's mansion
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has weighed in after Kid Rock received some special visitors at his Tennessee mansion overlooking Nashville over the weekend. The video Rock posted, which garnered millions of views on social media, sparked mixed reactions from supporters and detractors as well as the president himself.
Rock's video showed him standing outside by his pool clapping and saluting as an AH-64 Apache helicopter hovered near the residence. A second helicopter can momentarily be seen flying in the background of the video as well.
'Carry on, patriots.'
In a statement to Blaze News Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Army spokesman Maj. Montrell Russell reported that the pilots were suspended pending the investigation:
The Army has confirmed that on March 28, two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell conducted a flight in the Nashville area that has attracted public and media attention. This incident is now under an Army Regulation 15-6 administrative investigation. The personnel involved have been suspended from flight duties while the Army reviews the circumstances surrounding the mission, including compliance with relevant FAA regulations, aviation safety protocol, and approval requirements.
However, Sec. Hegseth responded to Rock's X post, reversing the threat of investigation as well as the pilots' brief suspension.
RELATED: Kid Rock catches heat for viral Apache helicopter social media video — Army launches investigation
"Thank you @KidRock. @USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots," Hegseth wrote.
President Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, seemed unsure whether the pilots should have done the flyover, the Daily Mail reported. He added, however, "I like Kid Rock, maybe they were trying to defend him, I don't know."
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Kid Rock catches heat for viral Apache helicopter social media video — Army launches investigation
Famed rock star and longtime Trump supporter Kid Rock has drawn some scrutiny over a video he posted on social media this weekend. While many social media users loved the video, the U.S. Army has nonetheless launched an investigation into the incident.
On Saturday, Rock posted a video from what appears to be the pool of his Tennessee mansion, nicknamed the "Southern White House." In the video, Rock can be seen standing at the pool's edge and saluting apparent servicemen aboard a helicopter hovering for a few seconds right in front of him.
'My buddy's the commander in chief.'
The helicopter hovers in the air almost level to the camera, which is stationed behind Rock.
"This is a level of respect that s**t for brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her," Rock captioned the video.
RELATED: Kid Rock's TPUSA halftime destroyed the NFL's Bad Bunny agenda
Many commenters on the Instagram post showed their love for the stunt and for Rock's patriotism. Others, however, have taken issue with the flyover, including the U.S. Army.
"Fort Campbell leadership is aware of a video circulating on social media depicting AH-64 Apache helicopters operating in the vicinity of a private residence associated with Mr. Robert Ritchie (also known as 'Kid Rock'). The command has initiated an investigation to review the circumstances surrounding this activity," Maj. Jonathon Bless, 101st Airborne Division public affairs officer, told Fox News in a statement.
Rock, on the other hand, saw no issue with those in the helicopter having a little bit of fun. In an interview with WKRN, Rock laughed, "I think they're going to be all right. My buddy's the commander in chief. I mean, what are they looking into? They stopped for, I don't know, seconds? A minute? Maybe they were here three to four minutes."
Fox News reported that Apache helicopters also flew over a nearby No Kings protest in downtown Nashville earlier in the day.
"If you're flipping the military off, you're on the wrong side of things man," Rock said of the protesters, who, by his telling, did not appreciate the military presence nearly as much as he did.
The Associated Press obtained a written statement from the Army: “Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations. An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements. Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found."
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More People Watched The TPUSA Halftime Show Than Tuned In To The Oscars
O’Brien’s potshot about the All-American Halftime Show may have landed at the time, viewership data says TPUSA gets the last laugh.'Overrated LIGHTWEIGHT': Trump roasts famous TDS-ridden TV host in Valentine's Day morning message
As Americans across the country prepared to celebrate Valentine’s Day, President Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday morning with a lengthy post—but it wasn't the kind of 'Valentine' many were expecting. Instead of a standard holiday greeting,
Trump unloaded a massive Saturday morning broadside against one of his most loyal and persistent detractors: TV host and comedian Bill Maher.
'Bill Maher is a highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT, and Republicans should stop using him to show how the Left is coming over our way.'
"Sometimes in life you waste time! T.V. Host Bill Maher asked to have dinner with me through one of his friends, also a friend of mine, and I agreed," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "He came into the famed Oval Office much different than I thought he would be. He was extremely nervous, had ZERO confidence in himself and, to soothe his nerves, immediately, within seconds, asked for a 'Vodka Tonic.' He said to me, 'I’ve never felt like this before, I’m actually scared.' In one respect, it was somewhat endearing!"
Trump was referring to Bill Maher's April 2025 dinner at the White House, which was supposedly coordinated by their mutual friend, Kid Rock.
Trump went on to remark that for some time after the dinner, Maher "seemed to be a nice guy."
He then pivoted to a long list of his accomplishments during the first year of his second term in office, including the "PERFECT Border, Lowest Crime in 125 years, the Mass Removal of Stone Cold Criminals...Venezuela...the Rebuilding of our Military, Eight War Stoppages, and on, and on, and on!"
Trump also criticized Bill Maher for taking too seriously a joke he made earlier in the week on Truth Social involving Cananda, China, and ice hockey.
Trump jokingly warned that a deal between Canada and China would be disastrous for the sport: "The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup."
Maher supposedly said it was a "foolish" thing to say, according to Trump's post.
Trump continued: "Fortunately, his Television Ratings are so low that nobody will learn about his various Fake News statements about me. He is no different than Kimmel, Fallon, or Colbert but, I must admit, slightly more talented! Anyway, Bill Maher is a highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT, and Republicans should stop using him to show how the Left is coming over our way — Our Base, the Greatest of All Time, laughs at your weakness when you do it!"
"I’d much rather spend my time MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN than wasting it on him. Bill continues to suffer from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS!), and there is nothing that will ever be done to cure him of this very serious disease. Thank you for your attention to this minor matter!" Trump concluded, slightly modifying his usual closing statement for the occasion.
While it is unclear what prompted trump's message or its timing, Bill Maher's Friday night monologue took aim at the Trump administration, particularly its handling of the Epstein files. Maher joked that Monday, President's Day, is "when we pay tribute to all our presidents, even those in the Epstein files."
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EXPOSED: Did the NFL have a secret plot to SABOTAGE the TPUSA halftime show?
The Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most powerful cultural platforms in the world, and Turning Point USA’s Jack Posobiec was well aware that challenging would not be easy — but the organization took it on anyway.
“I’ve heard the NFL tried to get you guys not to do it,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck says to Posobiec.
“So here’s what I can say. … Kid Rock himself came up — Bob came out and said, ‘It’s David and Goliath,’” Posobiec explains.
“This is what he was referring to because I knew that by picking a fight with the biggest cabal in America … we’re talking Hollywood, we’re talking corporate America, the biggest sports event in the country — the most money that goes into this thing because it has the most cultural power — that we were going up against Goliath,” he says.
“I don’t think we realized the ways that they can get you — the ways that they can gatekeep you and block you. Now, look, I’m not going to sit here and say that I, you know, I have an email from Roger Goodell that says, ‘You shall not do this,’ right?” he continues.
“This is the way that these elite events work is that it’s a trickle-down system, but they’re all connected through the sponsorships, the advertisers, the venues, the musicians, the music rights, the labels,” he adds.
Posobiec points out that there were times where artists would say, “Love to do it; can’t wait.”
“But then something would always happen, Glenn, somewhere along the line in that conversation, with — I want to say at a very large percentage of people we talked to, suddenly it was, ‘Oh, you know, something came up and we just can’t do it,’” he tells Glenn.
“And then they play games with the rights to the songs as well … because the publishers and the licensers have the song,” he explains, noting that the organization would have been sued to the tune of “tens of millions in liabilities” because “somewhere back in the office someone says ‘No Turning Point USA.’”
“This happens all the time in our world,” Glenn responds, “but it only happens, Jack, when you’re making a difference.”
“That shows how terrified they were of this,” he adds.
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Gospel meets degeneracy? Christians clash over Kid Rock’s TPUSA performance
Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show ignited controversy after Kid Rock took the stage — a choice BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey admits initially left her stunned.
“You’ve got Turning Point saying that they’ve got this family-friendly show, but then they have Kid Rock, who is not really a family-friendly guy, singing,” Stuckey explains, pointing out that this has become an “intra-Christian battle.”
When Stuckey initially heard that Kid Rock was playing at the Turning Point halftime show, she admittedly was skeptical.
“I don’t think of him as kid-friendly. ... I know that he has a history of being very raunchy. He’s definitely about the, like, sex, drugs, and rock and roll; drinking; and things like that. So, I was very surprised,” she explains.
At one point in the show, Kid Rock began sharing the gospel.
“There’s a book that’s sitting in your house somewhere that could use some dusting off. There’s a man who died for all our sins hanging from the cross,” he said, singing, “You can give your life to Jesus, and he’ll give you a second chance, till you can’t.”
“OK, I love that. I loved that message. I love the theme of this song. It’s called ‘’Til You Can’t.’ And that line is so true, that Jesus will give you a second chance. He’s got all of this grace to give, until you can’t, and until you take your last breath,” Stuckey comments.
However, Kid Rock also sang songs that celebrated degeneracy.
“So, very confusing, and a lot of people rightly pointed out this seems a little bit hypocritical,” Stuckey says, but one post on X helped her make sense of it.
“There seems to be a lot of confusion & backlash, especially from the Christian community, about Kid Rock’s performance during TPUSA’s All-American Halftime Show. I believe I can clear things up ...,” Jon Root began in a post on X.
“Kid Rock started his set by performing ‘Bawitdaba’, which came out in 1999. It is a vulgar song, referencing topless dancers, drinking, crooked cops, bastards, etc. Hearing that was a shock to a lot of us. Rightfully so. It felt worldly, which I believe was the point ...,” he continued.
“Next, there was an acoustic set with two people playing a Christian hymn. It was meant to be an emotional bridge to what came next. ... Finally, it transitioned to Kid Rock, his stage name, being introduced back to the stage as Robert Ritchie, his birth name. He then played a revised version of ‘Til You Can’t,’ which included lyrics about Jesus Christ,” he explained.
“He also spoke about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, encouraged people to follow Christ, and to read their Bibles. This was supposed to be an artistic way of portraying a redemption story. I don’t know Kid Rock’s walk with Christ, but he used this moment to point people to Christ, and I rejoice in that (Philippians 1:15-18),” he concluded.
“We should always praise God when the gospel is preached,” Stuckey comments. “That is my take on that.”
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Kid Rock's TPUSA halftime destroyed the NFL's Bad Bunny agenda
TPUSA's All-American Halftime Show revealed that Christians are now creating an alternative to progressive agendas — and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock could not be more pleased.
“The National Football League has chosen wickedness. And Kid Rock and that halftime show is going to be that rock that humbles the National Football League and sends a message to all of sports that fans are owed respect,” Whitlock says on “Fearless.”
“The NFL and sports have become so arrogant that they thought they were untouchable. And finally, we touched them through Kid Rock, through this TPUSA Super Bowl halftime,” he continues.
And while some might argue that Kid Rock is a “degenerate” just like Bad Bunny, Whitlock believes that doesn’t “give you license to ignore the message.”
“God chooses screwed up messengers every single time because we’re all screwed up. And I hear you. ‘God choosing Kid Rock? Whitlock is crazy, this is just like Trump. These guys are evil,’” Whitlock says.
“God chooses messed up people every single time to do His will. I’m messed up. Any of you listening to this show, watching this show right now, and me sitting here professing any part of the gospel, me sitting here, you know, supporting or praising Jesus Christ. Trust me, I’m the wrong messenger,” he continues.
“I’m as screwed up as anybody watching this show, listening to this show, or whatever. But I’ve been chosen. We’ve all been chosen to help execute the great commission. We’ve all been chosen to push back against the forces of iniquity and power and corruption and just the arrogant people that pollute our culture with corruption, with degeneracy,” he explains.
And Kid Rock has done his part well.
“He didn’t need to involve himself with the TPUSA event. It could have been a flop. He could have been a laughing stock. He could have taken that halftime platform that TPUSA built and he could have spewed a bunch of political rhetoric. He could have cursed out the left,” Whitlock says.
“But he didn’t do that. He stuck to the music. He stuck to a consistent message,” he continues.
“I believe this Super Bowl halftime deal is going to have long-lasting impact and is going to change part of American culture,” he adds.
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Media’s Fawning Bad Bunny Coverage Is Just Another Psyop To Demoralize And Mislead Americans
The media's political attacks are meant to confuse and demoralize conservative resistance to a political halftime show whose messaging targeted American culture and Christian values.
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