Fury has erupted online after a gay country singer posted a video appearing to poke fun at his baby, who was seemingly crying out for his mother.
In the Instagram Reel, posted Wednesday, Grammy-winning artist Shane McAnally hoists his baby and asked if he wanted his “dada” or “papa.” Those prompts came after the singer-songwriter told the crying infant, “There is no mama.”
“Who do you want?” McAnally asked. “Dada or papa? … No mama. Do you want dada or pop? Who do you want? Dada or pop?”
At that point, it appeared the baby began crying once again, requesting his mother. In response, McAnally said, “There is no mama. I’m so sorry.”
The recording artist and his partner, Michael Baum, laugh, again telling the baby he has “two choices,” neither of whom are a mother. McAnally captioned the Reel, “Who’s gonna tell him?”
Of course, it’s unlikely the baby knows the word for mother, especially given he seemingly has no routine experience with a mother. But it does highlight what many commenters described as “unnatural.”
By the third trimester, preborn babies already recognize their mothers’ voices and hear their mothers’ heartbeats. Babies are inherently wired to seek out care first from their mothers, whom they seek out through scent, sound, and touch.
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McAnally’s video has racked up thousands of views, comments, and reactions.
One commenter wrote on the Reel, “Children are not accessories. We have lost our way.”
“Praying for this precious baby,” added another. “This is not funny.”
The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles described the social media post as “the most horrifying video I’ve ever seen in my life” and conservative commentator Robby Starbuck said the clip “ignites disgust and anger on a primal level.”
“If you don’t feel it, you’re broken,” Starbuck wrote. “This baby just wants mommy. The gleeful way these guys respond to the sad baby is just evil. I’ve seen this cry before, and the sweet embrace of mom as she runs in. Babies need their mom!”
