Country music star Garth Brooks and his wife, singer Trisha Yearwood, took to social media on Wednesday to urge their fans to donate money to Ukraine, presumably funds in addition to the over $110 billion American taxpayers have sent to Kyiv’s war effort.
“We stand with Ukraine, especially the refugees,” Brooks said at the beginning of the video, before his wife added, “There’s a global initiative, and of course, supplies and aid is already spread thin, and this is where you come in. We need your help. We need you to donate.”
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Garth and Trisha really want you to know it’s time for you to be a good person, and hand your money over to Ukraine. Ok? Ok. pic.twitter.com/XzxCmJE6sp
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) July 20, 2023
“We always ask for love and prayers, please keep doing that. We’re also going to ask you to dig in your pockets. Be part of the greatest global relief plan mankind has ever seen,” Brooks added.
Yearwood then chimed in, stating, “Everybody deserves dignity, everybody deserves a roof over their head to feel safe, you could be a part of that.”
“Yeah, Amen. So join us, won’t you? Stand up for love,” Brooks said, to which Yearwood added, “Stand up for mankind.”
“Stand up for Ukraine,” the pair then said in unison.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who maintained a long career as a comic actor prior to becoming president in 2019, has a strong relationship with the entertainment industry in the United States. Zelensky first became famous in Ukraine as a sketch comedian and later playing a schoolteacher who becomes president of Ukraine in the sitcom Servant of the People, which Netflix made available in full to subscribers following the Russian “special operation” to oust him in 2022. Zelensky regularly welcomes Hollywood personalities, such as Jimmy Fallon, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn to Kyiv in support of the war effort. Last year, Zelensky accepted an Oscar as a gift from Penn, a radical leftist who has previously supported dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.
The Television Academy recognized Zelensky in its Emmy nominations this month, nominating host David Letterman’s interview with the Ukrainian president on his Netflix program, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, for an award. Zelensky made a virtual appearance at another awards show, the Golden Globes.
This is not the first time Brooks has gotten political. Last month, the singer called his fans “assholes” for disliking his decision to serve Bud Light in his Nashville bar – a beer that has seen a sharp decline in sales after it partnered with transgender TikTok celebrity Dylan Mulvaney. Brooks demanded that people come to his bar with a spirit of “tolerance” and an open mind.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
