Thursday, June 4, 2026

Overnight Sensation Oliver Anthony’s Unexpected Plot Twist: Not a Right Wing Redneck, Cautions Republicans About Using His Songs

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This is a plot twist no one saw coming.

In the last two weeks, unknown singer Oliver Anthony has placed 14 songs on iTunes and become an overnight sensation. His song, “Rich Men North of Richmond” is number 1. He’s become the (sorta) Bob Dylan of the summer of 2023.

The Republicans were so gassed up they used his song for the Fox News debate. Everyone assumed Oliver was a redneck right wing Republican. Turns out, he’s not.

Last night he posted a video and several messages to social media explaining that the people he’s singing about “are the ones up on that stage” — and that the “rich men” — are all politicians. He’s not a Biden supporter but he’s not endorsing the Republican squad of lunatics. Whatever else he believes or stands for is still up in the air. But he did say he turned down a big record contract to stay independent.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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