Garth Brooks on Why He Decided to Speak Out About Inclusivity Amid Transphobic Hate (Exclusive)

Garth Brooks spoke to ET on Thursday about his recent comments regarding the importance of equality and inclusion.

Garth Brooks has always been a champion of all voices and a harmonious world. The singer explained to ET on Thursday why the need for inclusivity is so important as the world moves into the future.

ET was with Brooks at his press conference Thursday, while announcing a new station on his SEVENS Radio Network on TuneIn Radio, called The BIG 615, where fans can listen to country music all over the world.

After the press conference, Brooks fielded questions and addressed remarks he made during a panel conversation at CMA Fest last week, where he shut down transphobic critics slamming his decision to sell Bud Light at his newly opened bar.

"I think if you know Garth Brooks, no matter how long you've known him, [he's] always been inclusive. We're gonna need each other, trust me," Brooks said. "It's like when we put this team together for The BIG 615. You're gonna need all these different talents."

"So I think that, [with regards to] diversity, inclusiveness, I think what you find is our differences are our greatest strengths," Brooks added.

The iconic country singer first spoke out during a panel conversation at Billboard Country Live, amid the 2023 CMA Fest earlier this month. He touched on the recent backlash aimed at Bud Light after the brand partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for an ad campaign earlier this year. 

Answering a question about his Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, which is expected to open in the near future in Nashville's South Broadway District, Brooks confirmed that he has full intentions of keeping Bud Light stocked behind the bar. 

"I know this sounds corny," he said of the venue. "I want it to be the Chick-fil-A of honky-tonks… I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another. And yes, we’re going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It’s not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway."

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