Oliver Anthony Says U.S. Government 'Isn't Serving Anyone Correctly'

Oliver Anthony has once again spoken about his views on American politics, vowing he was not a "fence sitter."

"When I look at Republicans and Democrats in 2023, what I see is people who are bitter and angry and disgusted with a system that isn't serving anyone correctly," he said on psychologist Jordan Peterson's podcast.

The overnight country music sensation and Peterson covered topics ranging from religion to art and Anthony's meteoric rise to fame.

Anthony—whose given name is Christopher Lunsford—went viral in early August when his working-class anthem, "Rich Men North of Richmond," was shared by podcaster Joe Rogan on X, formerly Twitter. He saw his Spotify subscribers go from 374 to more than four million in just three weeks.

Since his rise to fame, people on both sides of the political spectrum have either lauded him or criticized his lyrics and comments in interviews. While he vowed to no longer talk about politics publicly because of the intense scrutiny, he opened up on his values with Peterson.

Calling for an end to major ideological differences, Anthony called for people to come together using "entrepreneurial skills" to rebuild "our political climate and our country."

"We were using our bitterness as a weapon against each other," Anthony told Peterson.

"Rich Men of North Richmond" takes aim at taxation, the obese, "welfare cheats" and makes references to conspiracy group, QAnon.

"I think obviously a lot of people understand what it is I'm trying to say or what my message is within the song, but it has been interesting seeing both sides also attack me [and] misinterpreting that I'm identifying with the other," Anthony said.

"Even just recently, I've had some conservatives give me grief for making the comment that we're stronger... through diversity, which really resonates on what the point is. We need to have people that think differently, use those strengths to work together in a way that makes us all stronger."

Anthony said: "But I think people are so used to hearing that as a sort of a left-wing rhetoric that they immediately identified it as that."

He said that on the "flip side," he's had the left attacking him as being "far right-wing", but it's a moot point because Anthony believed "at some point, we've got to figure out a way to leap out of that."

"It's important that we have politics and we have a system in which we decide how different ideas are implemented in the government but it can't rule us either," Anthony said.

"We've allowed it to almost encapsulate all of us like become a sort of the ceiling under which we live under."

Anthony addressed claims he was a "fence sitter" and responded by saying society needs "to take a step back and re-envision what we want the next 20 or 30 years to look like."

This may be the last time Anthony speaks about his political beliefs because he said he would do one more podcast about it after appearing on Rogan's The Joe Rogan Experience in late August.

"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm very grateful for all of YOU who showed the support to make this possible," he wrote on Instagram about his experience on the podcast.

"I am scheduling one final podcast after Rogan, that can deep dive into the nitty gritty it seems people are so desperately trying to understand. I'm simultaneously being labeled a far right extremist and a liberal by the powers at be. 🤣 I love it. They are doing everything they can to cause division.

"You deserve to understand exactly what it is I am, without internet trolls and corporate news speculating for you. After that, I'll focus exclusively on songwriting and playing shows. Love y'all. Thank you."