Maren Morris gets the joke.
The fake Spirit Halloween costumes meme has been blowing up on social media ahead of Oct. 31. One faux costume reshared by “The Bones” singer is called the “Lunatic Country Music Person.” It is a reference to her feud with fellow country music star Jason Aldean‘s wife, Brittany.
“I didn’t commission this but I do acknowledge it,” Morris tweeted. “Happy Halloween, lunatics.”
The packaging for the fake costume has a photo of the Grammy winner performing on her Humble Quest tour. Contents claim to include a tambourine, pickleball paddle and wig as well as “inclusive fans” and “beef with transphobes.” It is a child size costume, a nod to Morris’s petite 5-foot-1 stature, and notes “tall guy not included,” an apparent reference to husband Ryan Hurd. (Though, TBH, it could be Shaq — or anyone else who towers next to her.)
In August, Brittany posted a video of herself doing her makeup with the caption, “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life.”
Singer Cassadee Pope responded to the transphobic comments on social media saying, “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.” Morris then jumped in, tweeting, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie,” a reference to Brittany peddling conspiracy theories after the 2021 Capitol riot.
Brittany appeared on Carlson Tonight to discuss the drama, and the Fox News host branded Morris a “lunatic country music person.” She used the insult to her advantage, creating merchandise with the dig. The shirts include the Peer Support & Crisis Hotline for trans youth and proceeds are split between GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program and Trans Lifeline. She has raised more than $150,000 for the organizations.
While she turned a negative into a positive, Morris has said that she’s now undecided about whether she’ll attend the Country Music Awards on Nov. 9. Her album, Humble Quest, is nominated for Album of the Year. Jason’s song with Carrie Underwood, “If I Didn’t Love You,” is also nominated — for Musical Event of the Year.
“I don’t know if I feel [at] home there right now,” Morris said. “As of right now, I don’t feel comfortable going.”
In mid-October, Jason spurred on the feud with Morris by mentioning her during his concert, which led to the arena booing Morris’s name. He pretended he didn’t know why they would react negatively.
Spirit Halloween is a popular pop-up shop that sells costumes. The business hasn’t been thrilled with all of these memes branded with its logo, including one costume dubbed “Gay Guy.” The business has been responding to critics who are unaware it was fake, saying, “This is not an officially licensed costume from our company. Photoshopping our packages seems to be trending at the moment.”
This is not an officially licensed costume from our company. Photoshopping our packages seems to be trending at the moment.
We will be passing this to our review team. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. ????
— Spirit Halloween (@SpiritHalloween) October 23, 2022
A few other celebrities have posted Spirit Halloween costume memes of themselves, including Diplo and Kim Petras. Lil Nas X responded to being turned into the model for the “gay person in terrible outfit” costume.