Country Singer Calls Out TikTok for Flagging New Song Mentioning Bible as ‘Sensitive,’ Banning Ads

Courtesy of Cody Webb

Cody Webb is a country music artist who is a Christian—not to be confused with a Christian music artist, he says.

This simply means he makes country music and happens to believe in God.

It’s an important distinction because when he released his latest song in August, “If Daddy Didn’t Have a Truck,” he got a notification on TikTok pertaining to its “sensitive” religious content.

Mr. Webb, 35, was trying to promote his new song on said mega platform when the message popped up: “Not Delivering.”

The notification explained:

This video either can’t be promoted or can’t receive full traffic for the following reasons: The ad or video features sensitive religious content. This could include disrespectful actions, words, or symbols toward a religion.

He said he still cannot place ads on the post with his new song.

Mr. Webb, 35, sent us the notification he received on his phone for the video he posted on TikTok, which mentions the Bible. Courtesy of Cody Webb

Days later, Mr. Webb made a video of himself and shared with the world what happened:

“I’ve been chewing on this for a minute now, and I’d like to put it out there,” he is heard saying in his car before going on to read said notification.

He afterward told his followers:

The last thing I want to do is be divisive. I don’t want to try to force people to believe how I believe, or force people to think how I think. I believe we all have the freedom to be who we are.

The song “If Daddy Didn’t Have a Truck” expresses who he is, and he subsequently fell in love with it for that reason. Speaking to The Epoch Times, Mr. Webb told what that means to him as a country singer and a Christian.

Country singer Cody Webb called out TikTok for flagging his new music video, preventing him from earning ad revenue from it. Courtesy of Cody Webb

“All it’s really saying is, I wouldn’t be who I am if mama didn’t have a Bible and daddy didn’t have a truck,” the artist said. He vocalized some of the lyrics to flesh out the idea:

I'd never known Jesus love me,

Fell in love with kicking up dirt,

I’d never known how forgiveness or a carburetor works,

Only the good Lord knows where a good old boy like me,

Might have wound up,

If mama didn’t have a Bible,

Daddy didn’t have a truck.

Mr. Webb’s life began in a tiny town, then of only 800 people, called Ridge Spring in South Carolina, where his mom led a choir in a Baptist church, and his dad played in a Southern band. Mr. Webb first headlined with his dad’s band at a local poultry festival at age 12.

“We weren’t playing what was on the radio at the time,” he told us, adding that they instead preferred the music of the Nolan Brothers, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings, and other Southern rock classics.

Years later, after graduating from Clemson University, he took his singing career to the next stage in 2014 by moving to Nashville.

“My strategy was to save up as much money as I could and figure out how to move there,” he said. “I didn’t want to move there and be broke and have to get a job. I wanted to be a full-time songwriter.”

Country singer Cody Webb poses before a sunset. Courtesy of Cody Webb

Mr. Webb then came full circle by returning to headline at the very same poultry festival, having become a seasoned and modestly successful Nashville country singer. More than anything else, though, he’s a Christian—the Baptist church was his life.

Mr. Webb notes the irony of how “If Daddy Didn’t Have a Truck” went viral after—perhaps because—he named TikTok for its censorship, yet he still finds it unnerving. He worries what will become of future generations if Big Tech controls how people think—particularly younger people.

“I’m not saying I’ve been hurt by this [censorship], but I am worried about it for my daughter, who’s 4 years old,” he said. The song has now been viewed millions of times, he said, exceeding in downloads all of his other songs over the last several years combined.

“I couldn’t imagine growing up with all these platforms, Instagram, TikTok, all this stuff to influence my life,” he said. “I’m at an age, I’m pretty grounded and know who I am—I’m not going to change much.

“But, man, when you’re in middle school or high school, you’re still figuring out who you are; these platforms are starting to try to control what you see.”

Cody Webb, 35, became a successful Nashville country singer while also keeping his Christian beliefs. Courtesy of Cody Webb

He said, “It’s going to make a big impact on our future generations. ... That’s what really scares me, I think it struck a nerve with a lot of people.”

The vast majority of the thousands of comments the singer has received in response to his post echoed his sentiment—some were outraged, some saddened—while a handful were negative or called him out, he said.

His calling out TikTok isn’t the first accusation against Big Tech for suppressing religious content. Worship leader and Christian music songwriter Sean Feucht blamed Twitter and Instagram for shutting down an account that shared Bible verses “about peace.”

The real model for online religious censorship has been communist China, where even the streaming of Christian services has been disabled by authorities.

Moving back to North Carolina, the country music artist now walks a fine line. On one hand, it’s his job to attract more listeners; on the other, he wants to truthfully express who he is through his music.

When asked if he would stop singing lyrics with Christian content, he answered, “Absolutely not.”

Meanwhile, he’s “tried to stay out of politics,” he told us. “I don’t think of myself as extreme right or left or any of that.

“Just, you know, a Christian. I love taking care of my family.”

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