Brian Kelley appeared on an impromptu episode of Bussinâ With The Boys to respond to some of the statements made by former Florida Georgia Line bandmate Tyler Hubbard.
Hubbard appeared on the show earlier this week. Host Taylor Lewan explained that the âemergency podcastâ episode took place because Kelley heard the conversation featuring Hubbard, which premiered on Tuesday (May 7), and quickly called Lewan to share his side of the story. During the podcast episode earlier this week, Hubbard spoke about why he and Kelley opted to pursue solo careers after rising to fame as a duo, including saying that the decision to go solo âwas really unexpected,â and âfelt like a divorce.â The podcast interviews also arrive as the former duo confirmed that their Nashville bar, FGL House, has closed.
âObviously, there were things about that podcast that you didnât believe to be the truth, and that you said youâve been quiet for a long time, and youâd love the opportunity to say your side of the story, which thatâs what Bussinâ With The Boys is all about,â Lewan said at the beginning of the podcast that premiered on Thursday (May 9) (warning: language). âYou also said on that podcast that I said some things about you that were disrespectful. To me, I immediately, once we hung up the phone â first thing I did was call [co-host Will Compton] â second thing I did was get on the Youtube and start watching that clip.â Lewan replayed a clip from Hubbardâs interview, and explained to Kelley that he spoke from a lens of his own relationship with Compton. âI want you to know that Bussinâ With The Boys is not here to ever attack you or attack anybody. My opinions, WIllâs opinion is never going to be made by what other people say about people. Itâs going to be about the interactions that we have with people thatâs gonna dictate how we feel about them.â
With that, Kelley began to âclarify thingsâ related to FGLâs split. He admitted he was âa little taken aback,â listening to his former duo partnerâs interview. âI wouldnât even call it a beef thing. I donât think this is really a beef situation. But I do think itâs important to speak my truth, and you know, at the same time, stand up for myself because itâs not just him that was FGL. Thereâs two of us, and thatâs what made it so special.â
Kelley said it was important to âcontinue to honor my craft, my artistry, my songwriting.â He had âvoiced that for a long time,â and envisioned an opportunity to create solo projects in addition to remaining in Florida Georgia Line at the time the duo released their fifth album. âTo have another trailblazing idea, my idea was, âhey, letâs keep everything going and letâs do a three-hour set. No openers. Letâs do solo songs, letâs do FGL songs, and be under the same umbrella and nothing changes.â So, watching the episode yesterday, just so casual, you know, he wanted to do FGL, too. I wanted to do it all. I didnât think that was out of bounds. When you look at Lady A, you know, Hillary [Scott] does some solo records in the Christian space. Charles Kelley has done some solo stuff, he does some shows, and I love how that operates. I think thatâs pretty special that you can honor yourself and you can honor what youâve built and continue forward. âĻIâd word it was, I wanted a solo outlet as a creative, as a songwriter. I wanted to reshape that part of the story for you guys because I put a lot of thought into what that could look like.â
Kelley said he never wanted to âdownplayâ the achievements of Florida Georgia Line, and called it âa great brotherhood.â He walked through the timeline of the duo parting ways, including when he and Hubbard each began to release solo music. Kelley said issues in the public eye started in 2020. âHe and his wife had unfollowed usâĻ He said, you know, âBK was posting some stuff, some political stuff, and I didnât wanna see it.â And he told me he liked me better in person, not online. That caught me off guard as well, for my brother to have those thoughts and feelings. âĻI grew up in a world where, my dad was in politics for 20 yearsâĻand I watched him move and progress (the) city, counties, along with different-minded people, and thatâs what makes America great. People that see things differently, but can still get it done at the end of the day. Thatâs my mindset. Thatâs how I approached it. So, for me and my family, it wasnât political. We didnât unfollow anybody. I was ready to go to work.
âI fought the good fight to keep FGL going,â Kelley said later. âI donât know if there was a breaking point, per se. This part is true. He said that was his boundary, and if he thought it was best to support me by cutting off something that I put my life into as well, thatâs one way to support somebody. I didnât agree with it.â
When asked whether both members of the former duo would appear on the podcast together, Kelley responded doubtfully. To a Florida Georgia Line reunion, however, he said âyou never know, man. âĻI think time will tell, you know? Iâm really focused on what Iâm doing now. I know heâs really focusedâĻ weâll have to see, man. Iâm sure the fans would like it. Iâm sure the fans would love that.â
The Bussinâ With The Boys âemergencyâ episode arrives one day before Kelley releases his next solo album, Tennessee Truth. The 12-track collection includes âKiss My Boots,â â a âbetrayalâ song that Kelley told Lewan and Compton is âabout a lot of peopleâ â âHow Weâre Livinâ,â âTrucks, Ducks, Bucks & Beer,â "See You Next Summerâ and more. Earlier this year, Kelley delivered the debut live performance of âKiss My Bootsâ and the unreleased first track on the album, âAcres,â at the 2024 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Kelley plans to mark Tennessee Truthâs debut with a free album release event at Barstool Nashville on Friday, May 10, beginning at 7:30 p.m.