
10 Wardrobe Malfunctions That Will Always Haunt These Country Stars – The List
Country music stars have made endless contributions to the fashion world. Throughout the ages, they’ve helped popularize western wear trends like rancher boots, cowboy hats, and fringed apparel, just to name a few. As noted by the Country Music Hall of Fame, country music developed its own distinct style of dress around the 1940s. Back in those days, audio equipment wasn’t exactly state of the art, so country artists needed another way to stand out. Country music legend Buck Owens once summed up this phenomenon, saying, “The sound systems were so lousy back then that the crowd couldn’t hear the music, so the clothes had to be loud.”
Advertisement
Today, country music continues to influence fashion trends. Western-inspired looks have even appeared on the runway, having been embraced by luxury brands like Versace, Moschino, Louis Vuitton, and many more. Nevertheless, western wear owes a lot of its popularity to its biggest purveyors: country singers. The sartorial style of country music has evolved and endured through several generations thanks to the likes of singers like Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, and countless others.
Of course, wardrobe malfunctions are an inevitable part of fashion — and when it comes to country music stars, there has been no shortage of such slip-ups. From windswept dresses to ripped pants, these unfortunate wardrobe blunders are sure to dwell forever in the annals of pop culture.
Advertisement
Dolly Parton famously ripped her dress during the 1978 CMA Awards
The stunning transformation of Dolly Parton began in 1971 when she released her first chart-topper, “Joshua.” Since then, Parton has become a pop culture icon thanks to her incredible talent and her inspiring philanthropy. That said, you might be curious to know what it’s really like to be Dolly Parton. After all, the country star undoubtedly enjoys a fabulous life of wealth, privilege, and public admiration. However, underneath it all, Parton is still human — and several decades ago, she proved that even the biggest stars can fall victim to a wardrobe malfunction.
Advertisement
Parton’s wardrobe slip-up happened during the 1978 CMA Awards. The “Jolene” singer had just won the Entertainer of the Year award, which was being presented by fellow country legends Johnny Cash and Ronnie Milsap. However, when Parton stood to accept the award, it immediately became clear that something was awry with her dress. While ascending the stage, the singer carried a massive fur coat to cover up her torso.
During her speech, Parton revealed the reason for her oddball accessory. “I had this dress made in case I won,” she told the audience. “And about five minutes ago, I was hoping I wouldn’t win, because I busted the front out of it.” This could have been a sartorial nightmare, but Parton tackled it with her trademark humor and charm. The singer quipped, “Anyway, my daddy said that’s what I got for putting 50 pounds of mud in a 5-pound bag.”
Advertisement
Taylor Swift accidentally showed her rump during a tangle with a wind machine
Prior to becoming a pop superstar, Taylor Swift was better known as a country singer with a rolodex of steel guitar-laden hits. However, even in the early days of her career, Swift couldn’t escape a wardrobe malfunction — or the inevitable media frenzy that followed.
Advertisement
In 2011, Swift performed in St. Louis wearing a purple halter dress. While singing her smash hit, “You Belong With Me,” the singer inadvertently stepped too close to a wind machine, which sent her skirt fluttering up towards the heavens. The startled songstress quickly shoved her dress back into place, but it was too late — fans had already caught an eyeful. Notably, Swift was wearing opaque tights under the dress; however, her panty hose left little to the imagination, and she ended up being the center of a cheeky spectacle. In reaction to the incident, Swift finished belting her song while laughing and coyly twisting her blonde ponytail.
Ultimately, the runaway skirt went down in history as one of Taylor Swift’s biggest wardrobe malfunctions yet. Later that year, the singer appeared on “On Air With Ryan Seacrest” to dish about her wardrobe snafu. “We have wind machines for a few songs in the show and they weren’t supposed to be on during that song [‘You Belong with Me’],” Swift divulged (via Taste of Country). “I walked over there thinking it wasn’t on and it just kind of blew it up a little bit.”
Advertisement
Carrie Underwood was injured by her wardrobe malfunction
Wardrobe malfunctions can strike at any time, but that hasn’t stopped some country stars from taking extra steps against them. Take Carrie Underwood, for example, who uses a clever hack to avoid giving an inadvertent peep show. “Underneath every skirt, every dress, I’m wearing shorts,” the singer told Allure (via Glamour) back in 2013. “So that everyone in the world knows, if I ever fell down, nobody would get a peek at anything.” Unfortunately, even the singer’s trusty shorts couldn’t rescue her from an injurious wardrobe malfunction in 2013.
Advertisement
The fateful wardrobe mishap occurred while Underwood was playing a concert in Corpus Christi, Texas. During her performance, the “American Idol” alum wore a flowy white blouse with a long train. She paired the look with leather pants and stiletto boots. While rocking out to one of her songs, the singer took a step back, snagging her high heel in the fabric of her shirt. She immediately fell backward, landing hard on her bottom. After the fall, Underwood continued to push through her performance.
A few hours later, the country starlet opened up about the fall on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I can’t move my toes,” she wrote. “Is that bad?” After getting checked out by a doctor, Underwood posted another update on social media. This time, she shared a photo of her leg, which was strapped into a medical boot. “Good news, it’s not broken,” the singer tweeted. “AND I got some new footwear!”
Advertisement
Jake Owen used a t-shirt to patch up his ripped pants
Since his debut in 2006, Jake Owen has become a country music darling. However, his golden boy image was nearly tarnished in 2013 when the “Yee Haw” singer suffered a blush-inducing wardrobe malfunction. During a concert in South Carolina, Owen was rocking out to a cover of Van Halen’s “Jump.” Caught up in the performance, the country star couldn’t help leaping into the air while singing the song’s iconic chorus. Unfortunately, his tight jeans weren’t built to withstand so much torque, and they split down the crotch. To make matters worse, Owen wasn’t wearing underwear that day. Startled, the country star quickly placed his hand over his crotch and proceeded to keep it there until the song ended.
Advertisement
Thankfully, the quick-witted singer came up with a genius way to conceal his goodies. Backstage, Owen took off his white t-shirt and stuffed it into his pants, creating a barrier between the world and his groin. To his relief, the makeshift skivvies held up for the entire concert, and Owen was able to dodge a total sartorial disaster.
In the wake of his wardrobe snafu, Owen made light of the situation on social media. “Charleston, SC will never be forgotten,” he wrote on X. “My jeans ripped on stage tonight. Going commando = bad idea. Although, great breeze here. Coastal town.” In a separate tweet, he quipped, “Tonight was totally ‘nuts’ in Charleston.”
Kacey Musgraves told the world about her commando moment
In 2014, country star Kacey Musgraves performed at the CMA Awards. On this occasion, she took the stage with fellow country music icon Loretta Lynn for a performance of Lynn’s single, “You’re Lookin’ At Country.” Her stage ensemble included a nude bodycon dress featuring sequin panels on the front and back. Musgraves looked like pure Nashville glam; however, there was one detail about her outfit that viewers were totally unaware of. Turns out, Musgraves had planned to wear stick-on underwear beneath her dress, but the skivvies peeled off right before she stepped onstage.
Advertisement
Ultimately, Musgraves pulled off the performance without a hitch. Her dress stayed perfectly in place, leaving viewers none the wiser about her non-existent undies. However, Musgraves found the situation totally hilarious, and she couldn’t keep her amusement to herself. During a backstage interview, the country crooner told the world about her commando moment. “Right before I sang, my panties totally came off,” Musgraves confessed. “They were the stick-on kind — look at this dress, there’s not much to work with. So, they were stuck on, and then they weren’t stuck on, and the curtain was about to come up so literally I had to rip them off and throw them to the side.” Musgraves added that her stick-on panties were probably still lurking on the floor somewhere backstage.
Advertisement
Luke Bryan walked onstage with his pants unzipped
In 2017, country star Luke Bryan had a wardrobe malfunction that showed a little more of him than fans had bargained for. During a show in Orlando, Bryan unknowingly stepped onstage with his pants unzipped. The singer didn’t notice his blunder until well into the show, when he suddenly looked down and noticed that his bat cave was wide open. The country crooner stopped in the middle of a song, shouting at his band to cut the music. In the ensuing moments, Bryan lightheartedly asked, “Why did none of you a**holes tell me?” Fortunately, the hitmaker was quick to bounce back from his wardrobe snafu. After zipping up his pants, Bryan immediately started the show back up.
Advertisement
Notably, this wasn’t the first time Bryan’s undergarments had been at the center of our collective consciousness. In 2020, the singer caused a stir when he appeared in a Jockey underwear commercial with his wife Caroline. During the ad, Bryan opened up about his underwear preferences, and he even got pelted by a flying thong. Given the hilarity of it, it was easy to see why Luke Bryan’s underwear commercial got lots of attention.
Shortly after the zipper debacle, Bryant dished about the awkward moment to “Entertainment Tonight.” “After all of these years of averting this one wardrobe malfunction, it finally showed itself,” he lamented. “The fly was down, the zipper was down.”
Lainey Wilson ripped her pants onstage
Lainey Wilson found mainstream success in 2019 when her songs appeared in the hit series “Yellowstone.” In 2023, the singer nabbed a Grammy and was declared Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association. However, despite being at the top of her country music game, Wilson was no match for an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in July 2024.
Advertisement
During the fateful moment, Wilson was performing at the Faster Horses festival in Michigan. The “Dirty Looks” singer stepped onstage in purple bell bottoms and a leather fringe vest. Unfortunately, things took a chaotic turn when the back of her pants tore wide open. Wilson was facing the audience at the time, so crew members backstage were the first to notice her torn trousers. They quickly alerted the singer, who rushed off-stage for an emergency wardrobe change.
@wanderwithjenna Lainey Wilson’s pants split on stage at Faster Horses! #laineywilson #fasterhorses #fyp #wardrobemalfuncition #funnyvideos #countrymusic
After a brief intermission, Wilson reappeared wearing her a new pair of pants. She spoke to the audience, acknowledging how close she’d come to an utterly cheeky disaster. “Y’all just about got a real show. A real show!,” the country star declared. “There’s a first time for everything and I’m glad it was y’all that I split my pants wide open in front of.” Despite her seam-splitting moment, Wilson didn’t skip a beat. She jumped right back into performance mode, telling fans, “This is my first Faster Horses, and we’re gonna have the time of our lives!”
Advertisement
Maren Morris’s skirt malfunction caused a media frenzy
The stunning transformation of Maren Morris has been underway since 2016 when the singer released her smash hit “My Church.” Since then, Morris has continued pushing the boundaries of country music — not just with her unconventional sound but also with her subversive fashion choices. In 2024, the country star suffered a wardrobe malfunction that caused quite the controversy.
Advertisement
Things got awkward when Morris took the stage for Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic. For her performance, the singer donned a black halter top and a denim maxi skirt with a sky-high slit. While belting out her hit song, “The Middle,” Morris began walking across the stage, causing her skirt to billow open and expose her undies for all to see. Videos of the incident went viral, prompting a flood of speculation. Some viewers insisted that the singer wasn’t wearing underwear during her performance and had thereby shown her lady bits to the world. Others accused Morris of staging the entire situation for publicity.
In an interview for Cosmopolitan’s Cheap Shot, Morris put all the rumors to rest. “Yeah, against my will, a video circulated recently of me wearing a denim skirt with a giant slit in it,” the country star shared. “I was wearing underwear. It was nude underwear.” When asked if the malfunction was intentional, Morris clarified, “It wasn’t a publicity stunt.” She added, “I wish I’d worn DayGlo underwear, so people would definitely know I had it on, but you live and you learn.”
Advertisement
Beyoncé had a painful-looking underwire mishap at the Grammys
When you’re as famous as Beyoncé, it goes without saying that everything you do ends up under a microscope, but that hasn’t stopped her from donning shocking outfits. Still, given the sum of Beyoncé’s best and worst outfits, there’s no doubt that she’s a fashion icon. Throughout her career, the pop diva has used her wardrobe to tell stories, pay tribute to fellow artists, and even commemorate historical events. Thus, when the “Halo” singer released her groundbreaking country album “Cowboy Carter” in 2024, fans watched intently to see how her wardrobe would transform.
Advertisement
The singer didn’t disappoint when she showed up to the 2025 Grammys in a stunning beaded gown by Schiaparelli. Ultimately, Beyonce won the Grammy for Best Country Album, making her the first Black woman to achieve such a feat. However, Beyoncé’s moment was nearly upstaged by an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction that couldn’t be unseen: Two pieces of underwire had broken through the top of her dress and appeared to be poking her painfully in the chest.
Queen Bey handled the situation with grace, choosing to keep the focus on her historic Grammy win rather than her rogue underwire. “I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists,” the singer stated, “and I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about and to stay persistent.”
Advertisement
Kelsea Ballerini found a tissue paper surprise in her new boot
It’s no secret that the life of a country star is filled with perks. Not only do they get to tour around the country playing their music to adoring fans, but they also get to enjoy the finer things in life. Just ask country star Kelsea Ballerini, who has a higher net worth than you might think. Thanks to her booming music career, the singer can afford just about anything she wants, including a fabulously expensive wardrobe. However, even the most lavish apparel can be a recipe for wardrobe malfunctions. Ballerini learned this the hard way in 2025.
Advertisement
While playing a show in Nashville, the singer donned a pink tube-top dress with a swishy feathered skirt. She paired the look with fishnet tights and pink high-heeled boots. Unfortunately, things went a little off the rails when Ballerini found a piece of packing material inside her brand new footwear. After finishing one of her songs, the singer sat down and began yanking off her boot. “I have something important to say right now,” Ballerini told concertgoers. “I’m going to take one second longer than I should. And I might need help. I have a new outfit tonight. This is the new outfit.” She added, “I think the stuff that you put in the toe is still in it. It is, no it is.” After locating the pesky tissue paper, Ballerini handed it off to a lucky fan.
Advertisement