Maren Morris Claps Back at Mom-Shamers After Bringing Son to ‘Family-Friendly’ Drag Show

Maren Morris has come to the defense of drag queens once again — sharing why she brings her toddler to family-friendly drag shows.

Morris appeared on an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show on Friday, April 12, where she discussed her advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community and taking her son to a drag show for the first time. “It was an all-ages show, so it was completely family-friendly,” she told host Kelly Clarkson. “We were doing a benefit at Bridgestone last year when they were doing the drag ban in Tennessee.”

The “My Church” singer later clapped back at a homophobic comment on social media from a user maligning those who take their children to events where there are drag queens, even if those events are age-appropriate.

“Ok this ‘save the children’ plea always seems to distract from what we’re actually talking about,” Morris wrote via Instagram Story on Friday.

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“If you’re making the ‘exposure to children’ argument, there are a lot of gowns in Catholicism, makeup and powdered wigs in theatre historically worn by only men, Mrs. Doubtfire that charmed our childhoods… the list goes endlessly on,” she continued. “Drag is centuries-long performance art and some drag is only for adults. The performance I referenced in this interview was a charity all-ages show to protest the unlawful drag ban in Tennessee that was rightfully overturned.”

Last year, Morris performed at the Love Rising concert in Bridgestone, an LGBTQ+ benefit show to combat Tennessee’s wave of anti-trans legislation. She brought her young son, Hayes, 3, to the event and introduced him to some of the drag performers. (Morris shares Hayes with ex husband Ryan Hurd.)

“Yes, I introduced my son to some drag queens today,” the songstress said to the crowd during her March 2023 performance. “So, Tennessee, f–king arrest me.”

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At the time, the state had passed a bill restricting “adult cabaret performances” in public or in the presence of children. The bill, which has since been overturned, also prohibited these performances from occurring within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks and places of worship. Morris was one of several musicians, including Hozier, who performed at the Love Rising benefit concert.

“There were drag queens throughout, entertaining, as well,” Morris told Clarkson on Friday. “One actually danced with me when I was singing my song ‘The Middle.’ It was amazing and fun, and my son loves watching me sit in the makeup chair and is just fascinated with the colors, so it was completely harmless. It is just an amazing expression of artistry. So, I think normalizing it and making it seem like these are just people that love dressing up too is an amazing thing.”