While his viral hit Rich Men North of Richmond was dubbed “the anthem of forgotten Americans” by Republican politician Marjorie Taylor Greene, Oliver Anthony’s recent comment on diversity may have ruptured his conservative fan base.
The Farmville, Virginia, resident became an overnight sensation after radiowv shared a clip of him singing the track to YouTube on August 7. At the time of writing, the footage has received 34 million views, with more than 130,000 comments—the majority of which praise the song.
Courtesy of Oliver Anthony Music
The song—which counts prominent conservatives Joe Rogan, Kari Lake and Matt Walsh among its fans—criticizes taxation, welfare cheats and the obese, and includes references to sex-trafficking, Jeffrey Epstein and QAnon. These topics are popular among the country singer’s fanbase, but Anthony’s recent interview with Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins has left some listeners reeling.
Posting a clip of the interview, which was filmed ahead of a performance in Moyock, North Carolina, X user @iamyesyouareno accused the singer of being a “sell out.”
“We are the melting pot of the world,” Anthony tells Jenkins in the 11-second snippet. “That’s what makes us strong is our diversity and we need to learn to harness that and appreciate it and not use it as a political tool to keep everyone separate from each other.”
Oliver Anthony: “We are the melting pot of the world and that’s what makes us strong, our diversity”
Such a let down. Did he sell out already to the rich men north of Richmond? pic.twitter.com/UkT6Ex4EAD
— iamyesyouareno (@iamyesyouareno) August 22, 2023
@iamyesyouareno was unimpressed by the statement, captioning the video: “Such a let down. Did he sell out already to the rich men north of Richmond?”
Many of @iamyesyouareno’s 149,000 followers agreed with his take, with the clip receiving 1.7 million views.
“Damn, thought we had a real one,” wrote Arthur. “He switched up so fast.”
“It’s all a set up,” said SS.
“He was never anything other than a grifter… we warned you but you guys ate it up,” said boxingMD.
However, other users backed Anthony, with Lil’ Triangle writing: “sorry that he’s not racist.”
“I’m confused. Are you a segregationist?” asked @crackaco1a.
“The guy said from the beginning he’s in the middle politically. Don’t be shocked he doesn’t have all the same beliefs as you,” said Tomas Riley.
He isn’t going to agree with one side of the spectrum. That is obvious
— Ollie Clemons (@Ollie_the_Gray) August 23, 2023
While TrollColours clarified the meaning of “melting pot,” believing Anthony misunderstood the term.
“Melting pots make thing homogeneous: Not diverse,” the poster said. “That is the function of melting pots.”
“That’s a contradictory statement if i ever heard one,” agreed Crypto V. “Can’t be both.”
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, the former factory worker describes himself as “pretty dead-center down the aisle on politics.”
“It seems like both sides serve the same master,” Anthony explained in the clip. “And that master is not someone of any good to the people of this country.”
However, the singer has also been accused of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories about 9/11. Newsweek discovered a playlist on Anthony’s YouTube account featuring controversial choices.
The collection includes conservative influencer and academic Jordan Peterson, whose comments about transgender people have caused uproar, as well as videos that seem to indicate Israel was involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Newsweek has reached out to Oliver Anthony for comment.