Dixie Chicks laugh-off Beyonce backlash after CMAs performance: 'Best revenge is your paper'

The Dixie Chicks are not taking the backlash over their CMAs 2016 performance with Beyonce too seriously. Beyonce made a surprise appearance at the Nashville awards ceremony on 2 November to perform her song Daddy Lessons with the Dixie Chicks but was bombarded with offensive comments from country music fans.

Disgruntled viewers expressed their outrage on Twitter with some accusing Beyonce, 35, of "cultural appropriation" and others making racist remarks towards the singer. In the midst of the controversy, Dixie Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines addressed the controversy via Twitter and made light of the situation.

The Travellin' Soldier singer joked: "We were in Bey's world not the CMA world," before adding: "Hey everybody!The CMA's just called and asked us to co-host next year's show with Beyoncé. Unfortunately I've got a thing that night so, no."

In a separate tweet, Maines said: "It's ok. I used them to fulfil my dream of singing with Bey. (On their dime;)." The musician also referenced a lyric in Beyonce's recent hit single Formation, tweeting: "You know you dat Bitch when you cause all this conversation. Always stay gracious best revenge is your paper." #Bey #Slay."

Many of those angry with Beyonce's performance at the awards mentioned Formation, which was accused of inciting police hatred due to its support for the Black Lives Matter movement against gun violence.

Several celebrities have stepped forward to support the Sorry singer, including country music legend Garth Brooks who won entertainer of the year at the CMAs. Brooks, 54, told reporters backstage at the awards: "Queen Bey and the Dixie Chicks, I thought that was just power – raw power. I love that it was all feminine raw power."

The Country Music Association have come under fire for appearing to remove all mentions of Beyonce and the Dixie Chicks from their website and social media accounts. Sharing her opinion on the fiasco, Hollywood actress Rose McGowan told TMZ: "I thought it was an incredible bridging of two cultures and really important for America. The Dixie Chicks were done wrong by their fans and I hope they reclaim their throne because they're amazing, strong women. Beyonce is a serious power warrior goddess. Those two combined – electric."

She continued: "[The CMAs] are a bunch of chicken s***s and they need to stand up to a bunch of red necks. Who cares if they like stupid country music? They can go f**k themselves. You don't punish women, you punish perpetrators. People need to start thinking. Chicken s***s."

However, the CMA denied removing their Beyonce and Dixie Chicks content over the backlash, explaining in a statement which read: "CMA has not erased any mentions of Beyonce's performance on the CMA Awards. In advance of the broadcast, CMA removed a five-second promotional clip from ABC.com and CMA's Facebook page. The promo was unapproved and CMA removed it prior to the broadcast. Beyoncé's performance with Dixie Chicks was a highlight of the evening and we are continuing to share the amazing full-length performance clip via our official social channels."

Watch Beyonce and Dixie Chicks CMAs performance: