Californians are getting a reprieve from Kid Rock’s “horrific music,” and they have Gavin Newsom to thank for it. The state governor has announced that he’s banning the Detroit-raised rap-rock-country artist from performing in the state, albeit satirically.
The joke stems from a running bit that Newsome has been doing where he posts on social media in the same manner as President Donald Trump.
Mocking both Trump and Kid Rock — who is an avid and outspoken supporter of the New York businessman-turned-politician — Newsome wrote in a recent post on X/Twitter: “BECAUSE OF HIS HORRIFIC MUSIC, CALIFORNIA WILL INDEFINITELY SUSPEND KID ROCK FROM PERFORMING IN THE GOLDEN STATE. YOU’RE WELCOME! — GCN”
COUCH BOY, I’M NOT MIMICKING DOZY DON. I’M MOCKING HIM. ONLY SOMEONE WITH A LAW DEGREE FROM CHUCK E. CHEESE COULD BE AS DUMB AS YOU!!! — GCN https://t.co/NtS2TGcpjT
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) September 7, 2025
In addition to making “horrific music,” Kid Rock is also a crybaby, as evidenced by a viral performance clip that emerged earlier this year. The aging, washed-up rockstar — real name Robert James Ritchie — walked off stage during a performance because the audience wasn’t clapping for him.
Ol’ Bob was trying to wow the crowd at Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan’s birthday bash in Nashville, TN, by singing Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.”
The crowd responded excitedly to Bob when he walked out on stage, but then, as he and the band played, he wasn’t getting the participation he expected from the crowd, so he decided to throw a tantrum.
Kid Rock is a crybaby who throws fits
“Fuck them. Fuck them. Hey, hey, stop,” he can be heard saying to the crowd in footage of the incident. “If you ain’t gonna clap, we [ain’t] gonna sing. That’s how it’s gonna go.”
Apparently, Bob’s cry for attention went unheard (or simply not cared about), so he eventually stormed off stage after saying, “You know what, fuck y’all. You ain’t gonna clap, I’m gone.”
I know that Newsom’s post is just satire and whatnot, but man, California would be dodging a real trashy, pandering bullet if Bob never played there again.
The post Kid Rock Is Banned From Performing in California Over His ‘Horrific Music,’ Thanks to Governor Gavin Newsom appeared first on VICE.
