Kacey Musgraves has delivered a savage response to Kristi Noem after the former Homeland Security secretary declared she would choose Ella Langley over the Grammy-winning country star. The exchange has revived scrutiny of Noem's controversial account of killing her family dog.
'I don't think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it,' Musgraves, 38, wrote on X on Monday, 12 October, turning a familiar expression into a pointed reference to Noem's admission in her 2024 memoir that she shot and killed her dog, Cricket.
The remark came after Noem took aim at Musgraves for welcoming Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to her Dallas concert over the weekend. The exchange quickly caught fans' attention, with a discussion on Reddit's r/popculturechat attracting around 30,000 upvotes as users celebrated Musgraves' cutting comeback and debated the role of politics in country music.
I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it. https://t.co/bI50bahJZu
— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) October 12, 2026
Why Kristi Noem Took Aim at Kacey Musgraves
The dispute began after Talarico attended Musgraves' Middle of Nowhere tour stop at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday, 10 October. The Texas Democrat shared photos from the concert and thanked the singer for having him, prompting a response from Noem that brought Langley into the political exchange.
'I'll take @ellalangleymsic over Kacey Musgraves any day. And if I'm choosin' Texas, I'll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico,' Noem wrote, referring to Langley and Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running against Talarico for the US Senate.
Musgraves, a Texas native, responded by turning the criticism back on Noem, whose account of killing Cricket has continued to attract attention. The singer's comeback drew attention not only for its wordplay but also for the controversy behind it.
The Dog-Shooting Controversy Behind Musgraves' Joke
In her 2024 memoir, No Going Back, Noem recounted shooting and killing Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer she had been training for pheasant hunting. According to Noem's account, the dog killed a neighbour's chickens and attempted to bite her before she decided the animal was untrainable and dangerous.
Noem also described killing a family goat she considered aggressive. The revelations prompted widespread backlash, with critics questioning her decision to kill the animals and her choice to include the accounts in a book intended to explain her approach to difficult decisions. Noem defended her actions, arguing that she had made a necessary decision under the circumstances.
Musgraves' reference to the incident gave her response an unmistakable sting, turning Noem's own account into the punchline rather than simply trading insults over their musical preferences.
Fans Rally Behind Musgraves
The exchange prompted an enthusiastic response in the Reddit thread, where many users praised Musgraves for speaking her mind in a genre they believe has become increasingly associated with conservative politics.
'Kacey's ALWAYS been that girl!' one commenter wrote, praising the singer for consistently standing by her beliefs in what they described as a boys' club country music industry.
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Another commenter pointed out that Musgraves is from Texas, arguing that she was entitled to weigh in on the state's political future. Others questioned why Noem framed the dispute as a comparison between Musgraves and Langley in the first place.
Langley, meanwhile, was pulled into the exchange after Noem publicly declared a preference. Some Reddit users speculated about the rising country star's political leanings, but those comments do not establish her personal views or suggest that she endorsed Noem's criticism.
The exchange has fuelled a wider discussion among fans about celebrity political endorsements and the different perspectives within country music.
