Chris Stapleton Admits to Feeling “Weird” at Willie Nelson’s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction

It comes as no surprise, but Wille Nelson has been around the block. Consequently, he’s got more than enough stories to pull out his arsenal if need be. However, it seems people don’t have a lot of stories about him. Until now, as Chris Stapleton recently appeared on the Howard Stern Show to discuss a variety of different topics.

Though, the highlight of Stapleton’s interview was the segment in which he talked about his love for Willie Nelson. Riddled with themes of nostalgia and dreams; Stapleton attested to how much Nelson meant and still means to him. And there is one somewhat comical story highlighting the two’s current friendship.

Chris Stapleton’s Admiration for Willie Nelson

Like many people of his generation, Stapleton grew up listening to Nelson religiously. Unlike the rest of his generation, Stapleton is one of the lucky few who have created a relationship with the country music giant. When Howard Stern asked Stapleton if he’d smoked with Nelson, Stapleton replied, “Of course! Of course.” Furthermore, he closed out his Nelson anecdote stating, “I’m a terrible poker player, so I might as well just hand him a bunch of money and just sit there and let him tell jokes. He tells great jokes.”

With all that in mind, it seems Stapleton and Nelson have a friendship that extends far beyond music. However, things can still be weird between friends from time to time. It seems that weirdness transpired on the night of Willie Nelson’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction

At the ceremony, Stapleton received the honor of playing alongside Nelson for his induction performance. Although, Stapleton found it to be weird that he was placed alongside Nelson as some sort of photo-op while his two sons stood behind. Stapleton shared with Stern, “I’m feeling kinda weird. I’m just like, your sons are behind us, man.”

He closed out the statement saying, “Like, they’re in the band, also maybe they should sit up here. I didn’t feel like I should be the guy seated next to Willie, you know.” Commendable and empathetic for Stapleton to realize the importance of this event and how it could potentially seem that Lukas and Micah Nelson were robbed of this paternally special event.

Nonetheless, Willie and his boys, along with Stapleton went on to perform “Whiskey River” and brought together a full-circle relationship between the two country music legends.

Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

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