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Chris Stapleton makes it clear why he avoids controversy in his country music career
By Lauryn Overhultz
Published January 20, 2026
Chris Stapleton likes to keep things simple.
Stapleton, 47, explained why he chooses to avoid controversy during an appearance on "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard."
Shepard and his co-host, Monica Padman, praised the country music star's ability to connect with different people through his music. "People almost lit our studio on fire for having Jason Aldean on," the "Parenthood" star said.
"Some people," Stapleton began, before Shepard chimed in with, "court controversy?"
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Chris Stapleton discussed why he steers clear of controversy during a recent appearance on "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard." (Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)
"That's part of their thing," the "Tennessee Whiskey" singer explained. "And some people wanna discuss things that aren't about music or make that part of their thing, and it's not part of my thing."
Shepard noted that something about Stapleton is "universal."
"There's something about your writing that people really gravitate towards regardless of their specific musical tastes," he noted. "Like, I don't think all our friends are like super into country. But they love you."
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Dax Shepard and Monica Padman praised Chris Stapleton’s ability to connect with fans across genres. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)
Padman added that friends in both Los Angeles and Georgia were equally excited about the chance to hear Stapleton on "Armchair Expert." She said the show doesn't "want to contribute to the divide."
"We're here to, like, show humanity," she added of her show with Shepard.
"I think that's an important thing to want to connect to," Stapleton responded. "But I also think in a musical space, my job is to connect to the music and then put that out in the world and let people find themselves in it."
"And the song doesn't really mean anything," he continued. "No song means anything until it goes out into the world and people hear it and attach themselves to it and find themselves in it. Or it marks a point in their life. That's it. [The song] has zero meaning until that happens."
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Chris Stapleton said his focus remains on making music that lets listeners find themselves in it. (Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Stapleton ultimately emphasized that music, at its core, is "meant to unify us."
"The magic point to me is in regards to a certain type of song, but people like sad songs," he explained. "So they don't feel alone. And I think maybe all songs are that way. And then we wanna feel those emotions together. There's a communal thing in that."
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Country star Chris Stapleton said music should "unify us" and help people feel less alone. (Getty Images)
For Stapleton, music has a way of making solitude feel shared. The singer-songwriter explained how music can turn even the quietest moments into something larger than ourselves.
"Even if you're driving in the car by yourself, listening to a song and it's hitting you in a certain way, it's still that communal thing," Stapleton continued.
"You're like, 'Oh, there's somebody else in the world that understands this other thing that I'm going through. And so I'm not alone all of a sudden.' And I think that is the magic of music. It's not some mysterious thing. The magic of music is, it helps us all be connected in ways that even a conversation or a look or a touch doesn't provide."
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/chris-stapleton-makes-clear-why-he-avoids-controversy-his-country-music-career