Fact Check: Tim McGraw Said, 'I Want to See a World Where My Daughters Have Control of Every Decision'?

Claim:

Country singer Tim McGraw once said, “I want to see a world where my daughters have control of every decision. Whether it be medically, personally, or the way they want to live their lives.”

Rating:

Correct Attribution ( About this rating? )

On July 30, 2024, a Snopes reader asked us to look into a quote attributed to country singer Tim McGraw that had been circulating on social media. The quote, which was shared with us in the meme format below, read, "I want to see a world where my daughters have control of every decision. Whether it be medically, personally, or the way they want to live their lives."

(X user @AnnieForTruth)

Reverse-image searches on Google and Tineye showed that the quote has appeared in this format in a number of posts on Facebook and X since November 2023.

A slightly longer version of the same quote has also circulated in social media posts. That version reads,

I want to see a world where my daughters have control of every decision. Whether it be medically, personally, or the way they want to live their lives. I support a woman's right to choose. That's between a family, their doctor, and their God, and I don't think anybody else has any business being a part of that.

Snopes was able to trace both the short and longer forms of the quote to an appearance McGraw made on Time magazine's "Person of the Week" podcast, in an episode released on Nov. 2, 2023.

The context for the quote is the podcast's host, Charlotte Alter, asking McGraw about his political priorities. Before delivering the quote investigated here, McGraw answered, "Women's rights. I'm a dad of three daughters," referring to the family he shares with his wife, fellow country singer Faith Hill.

The quote, which also appeared in text form in an article accompanying the podcast episode, can be heard starting at the 22:30 timestamp in the embedded version below.

The meme versions of the quote appear to have been taken from transcriptions included in the article accompanying the podcast, which Time notes were condensed and edited for clarity. Our own complete transcription of the relevant section of the podcast — which includes an interjection by Alter, the podcast's host — is below.

McGraw: Oh boy, gosh. I think women's rights. I'm a dad of three daughters. I have a wife. I want to see a world where my daughters have control of every decision that they have. Whether it be medically, personally, or the way they want to live their lives.

Alter: So you support abortion rights?

McGraw: I do, well, I support women's rights to choose. That's between a family, their doctor, and their God, and I don't think anybody else has any business being a part of that.

Because none of the edits Time made to the text version of the quote affected the substance of McGraw's words, we rate this quote as "Correct Attribution."

Previously, we investigated claims that McGraw endorsed weight-loss gummies.

Sources:

Liles, Jordan. "Tim McGraw Weight Loss Gummies Scam Ad Features AI-Generated Voice." Snopes , 31 May 2023, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/mcgraw-weight-loss-gummies/. "Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Relationship Timeline." Peoplemag , https://people.com/country/tim-mcgraw-faith-hill-relationship-timeline/. Accessed 31 July 2024. "Tim McGraw on How Music Can Heal Divisions in America." Time , 2 Nov. 2023, https://time.com/collection/person-of-the-week-podcast/6330694/tim-mcgraw-interview-person-of-the-week/.