Wheeler Walker Jr. Escorted Out of Country Music Hall of Fame for Protesting Florida Georgia Line Exhibit
Irreverent traditionalist and country music's resident troll Wheeler Walker Jr. took to the steps of the Country Music Hall of Fame to protest a new exhibit the spotlights Florida Georgia Line.
He documented the outing on social media on Wednesday (March 9), sharing footage of himself staging a one-man protest and heckling museum-goers on the steps of the building.
"Hey tourists, go home! They got a Florida Georgia Line exhibit, man. It stinks," Walker Jr. shouted. "Florida Georgia Line stinks! Florida Georgia Line's awful!"
Walker Jr. — whose Instagram bio bills him as the "greatest country singer in the world" — carried a picketing sign that read "FGL Does Not Belong Here." In the video, he underscores his right as an American citizen to stage a peaceful protest.
He gets into hot water when he tries to take his protest inside the building, though: Almost immediately after walking inside and shouting "Don't buy a ticket" and "Real country music only," Walker Jr. is approached by security guards, who ask him to leave.
"Don't I have a right as an American citizen to protest?" he counters.
"No sir, you do not," the guards responds. "This is private property."
So back to the sidewalk he goes, where he continues his tirade of anti-FGL sentiment; as always, with Walker Jr., a few choice expletives were mixed in as well.
Walker Jr. is the stage name and alter ego of comedian Ben Hoffman. Originally hailing from Kentucky, he's released three studio albums under the Wheeler Walker Jr. moniker, beginning with 2016's Redneck S--t. He's gearing up the release of album No. 4, which is due out April 15 and is titled Sex, Drugs & Country Music. He's got some live shows planned this summer, too: His Wheeler Walker Jr 2022 Comeback Tour kicks off at the Ryman Auditorium on April 14.