Remember When Vince Gill Confronted a Slew of Protesters, Showing Even the “Nicest Guy in Nashville” Has His Limits

Vince Gill might be the “nicest guy in Nashville,” but that doesn’t mean he won’t take a stand when necessary, like the time he cussed out a group of religious protestors outside the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri.

The 2013 incident was a stark departure from Gill’s typically amicable demeanor, but it’s easy to understand why.

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Pre-Show Chaos in Kansas City

Kansas City’s Muriel Kauffman Theatre hosted Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Vince Gill on September 8, 2013. Unfortunately, the performing arts center also had its fair share of unwelcome guests when members of the Westboro Baptist Church congregated on the sidewalk outside the venue.

The Westboro Baptist Church is infamous for its extremist religious views, including anti-gay rhetoric and condemnation of divorce and remarriage, which is how Gill ended up in the group’s metaphorical crosshairs. Gill divorced his first wife, Sweethearts of the Rodeo’s Janis Oliver, in 1998 before marrying the Christian music singer Amy Grant two years later in 2000.

After hearing the news that the Westboro Baptist Church members were picketing on the sidewalk, Gill went outside to confront them. Dropping the “nice guy” schtick for a few brief moments, Gill held no punches when speaking to the protestors, citing his own Christian faith while he did so.

Vince Gill Cussed Out This Group of Protestors

The Westboro Baptist Church, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as “arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America,” has been around since 1955. However, the church entered the mainstream news cycle in the late 1990s and beyond when they began picketing various events with signs with messages like “God Hates You” and “You’re Going to Hell.”

So, it’s unsurprising that Vince Gill knew exactly who they were—and why they were protesting him—when he confronted them in Kansas City in 2013. In a now-infamous clip of Gill and the extremist group’s face-off, one protestor asked Gill what he was doing on the sidewalk. He quickly replied, “I just came to see what hate looked like.” The anonymous woman then said, “Well, more importantly, what are you doing with another man’s wife?”

“Don’t you know that divorce plus remarriage equals adultery?” The woman continued. Gill replied, “Don’t you know that you f***ers are lucky that you don’t have a sign that says something about my wife?” Turning to someone else, the singer-songwriter said, “I’ve seen you on TV, man. You’re a big dips***.”

Gill pushed back against the protestor’s various insults, saying that his Christian faith taught him forgiveness and grace, both of which he accused the protestors of lacking. In one final quip to show that he knew exactly who they were and what they were about, Gill mocked, “Are any of you guys Phelpses [the founding family of the church]?” Or are you guys like the C-team?”

The fiery confrontation goes to show that even the “nicest guy in Nashville” has his limits.

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