Luke Bryan took a moment to clear the air after his sarcastic jokes at Dustin Lynch’s expense were apparently taken the wrong way.

Bryan introduced Lynch, among other artists, to the stage at his eighth annual Crash My Playa festival over the weekend in Mexico. The eighth annual event kicked off on Thursday, January 19, and ran through Sunday, January 22. The all-star lineup also included Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, Carly Pearce, Brian Kelley, Chase Rice, Ashley McBryde, Dylan Scott and more.

At least one video that seemed to be recorded by a concert goer — who deemed the introduction “absolutely uncalled for” — circulated on TikTok and stirred disapproving comments and a few tabloid media reports. Bryan seemed to introduce Lynch to the stage by saying: “No one has drank more liquor, no one has vomited more, no one has taken more drugs, no one has taken more IVs, no one has passed more STD tests than this next gentleman. Give it up for Dustin Lynch!”

Bryan quickly put an end to the backlash over the sarcastic introduction of Lynch at Crash My Playa. He spoke in a statement on his Instagram story, assuring his social media followers that the “Party Mode” artist “is one of my dearest friends on the planet,” and his jokes were “so absurd,” he figured everyone would pick up on his sarcasm:

“What’s up, y’all? It’s Luke. Greetings from a flooded cornfield. (I’m) doing a little duck hunting. Just saw where people are starting to chat about my introduction of Dustin Lynch. Dustin Lynch is one of my dearest friends on the planet. No one respects him more than I do, and that night at Playa — Sunday night, (the) last night — I get everybody out, and my introduction of him was complete sarcasm. Those words that I used were so absurd, I figured everybody would take it as sarcasm. Obviously, some people didn’t. I spoke to Dustin. I love him. He and I are all good, and I apologize to anybody that doesn’t understand my humor and sarcasm. It’s been going on like that down there for years. We’ll see y’all next year. Go download Dustin’s new single. Love y’all.”

Lynch, who premiered his “Stars Like Confetti” music video earlier this month, shared Bryan’s statement on his own Instagram story. Lynch added a written message, showing that the appreciation is mutual: “Thx for the call, love ya bro ❤️. All Good. We had a lot of fun down there again with the pirates 🏴‍☠️”

Bryan’s eighth annual Crash My Playa festival marked his eighth sold-out event, according to a press release issued earlier this week. Throughout the weekend, fans catch star-studded shows, go to daily pool parties and more in Riviera Cancún, Mexico. Bryan closed the four-day event with a special set that included Lynch, Kelley, Scott, Lionel Richie and Chayce Beckham.

“Year after year we aim to grow the music experience and the vacation experience to new heights,” Luke said, per the release. “And I feel we did that this year. Cole and Chris both knocked it out of the park with their headline sets. It was so fun to watch. And special thanks to my dear friend Lionel Richie for making our closing night even more special by joining me on stage for an evening I will never forget! Playa is truly a highlight of my year by watching these fans and the artists have fun in the Mexico sun.”

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Corey Calhoun