The Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday to open up about their hiatus from the spotlight and take the stage for the live television debut of their brand new single, “Gaslighter.”
Reflecting on the now-infamous comments made by Maines during Dixie Chicks’ concert in London in 2003, the trio shared their thoughts on being blacklisted and pondered if the backlash would have been the same if they made those comments in today’s society.
“I think we were one of the first people to feel that ‘cancel culture’ and I think, you know, what we said — or, what I said — back then would not even be a thing today because it was really mild compared to what people say today,” Maines said in the previously taped episode.
After Maines criticized President George W. Bush while on foreign soil, country music fans became outraged and boycotted their music. Some even went as far as burning Dixie Chicks albums and crushing their CDs with heavy-duty equipment.
“On one hand, everyone has this forum where they can say whatever they want to say, but on the other hand this platform can move really quickly and ruin people’s lives,” Maines told the talk show host.
DeGeneres acknowledged that society’s tendency to turn on celebrities who simply share an opinion they don’t agree with is “sad.”
“I think we need to get back to where we all just celebrate our differences, and we all have different opinions and it’s okay to have strong opinions,” DeGeneres explained. “As long as you’re not hurting somebody else, you can speak your opinion.”
The trio then took the stage to perform “Gaslighter,” the lead single from their long-awaited new album.
