Kacey Musgraves and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem traded jabs on social media, with Musgraves referencing one of Noem's most controversial episodes: her admission that she killed a 14-month-old dog.
Democratic Texas state representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico attended Musgraves' show in Dallas on Oct. 11, prompting him to post on X thanking the country music star. The day after Talarico shared his post, Noem reposted the picture with an accompanying remark referencing the Texas Senate race, Musgraves, Ella Langley and her 24-week No. 1 hit "Choosin' Texas."
Noem tagged Langley in the post, but the "Dandelion" singer later removed the tag, leading to a flood of comments from users on the post.
Noem was removed from her position as DHS secretary in March 2026, when President Donald Trump announced he was replacing her with Markwayne Mullin. The news was made public minutes before Noem spoke at the Sergeants Benevolent Association's conference in Nashville.
Here is how the viral social media exchange unfolded.
What did Kacey Musgraves say to Kristi Noem?
Reposting Talarico's post on Oct. 12, Noem chimed in on the high-profile Texas U.S. Senate race with a country music comparison.
"I’ll take @ellalangleymsic over Kacey Musgraves any day. And if I’m choosin’ Texas, I’ll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico,"wrote Noem.
In typical Musgraves fashion, the country singer fought fire with fire, referencing Noem's 2024 admission that she killed a dog.
"I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it," wrote Musgraves.
Why did Kristi Noem kill a dog?
According to Noem's own account in her 2024 memoir "No Going Back," she killed a 14-month-old dog named Cricket because she believed the dog was untrainable and dangerous.
After the memoir was published, the account sparked widespread public backlash, and Noem faced extensive criticism from Democratic politicians, celebrities and animal advocacy groups.
Noem defended her actions on several occasions, most notably posting on X after The Guardian released a story on the former DHS secretary's account. "We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years," Noem wrote on X in 2024.
Who is James Talarico?
A member of the Texas House of Representatives and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in the 2026 midterms, Talarico is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the nation's most closely watched Senate races.
Talarico's campaign has gained national attention because of the strong support he's garnered in the Republican state, an unusual development given that a Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, according to USA TODAY.
The Democratic nominee is a progressive Christian known for supporting abortion rights, gun restrictions, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights, many of which Musgraves has also publicly supported.
What causes and political issues has Kacey Musgraves supported?
Musgraves has consistently used her platform to advocate for a number of liberal and progressive causes, contributing to her reputation as one of the more progressive artists in country music.
During the opening night of her "Middle of Nowhere" tour in late August, Musgraves took time out of her show to advocate for children affected by deportation and encouraged fans to support a nonprofit that protects the rights of immigrant children.
Following several mass shootings in 2019, Musgraves took to X to voice her stance on firearms. "Let me be clear - I’m from Texas. I grew up around hunting and guns. There’s a time and place for that and even self-protection at times," she wrote.
Back in 2013, Musgraves released her hit single "Follow Your Arrow," which included lyrics supporting LGBTQ+ individuals, a rare message in mainstream country music.
Peter Burditt covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact him at PBurditt@nashvill.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kacey Musgraves, Ella Langley respond to Kristi Noem jab over Texas Senate race
