American country musician Charley Crockett recently shared a photo with Metallica frontman James Hetfield. The post sparked online backlash in the context of Crockett’s recent controversy over dropping Twin Temple from his shows due to their “Satanic imagery.”
Hetfield had attended one of Crockett’s shows with his fiancée Adriana Gillett. Crockett subsequently shared a photo from the occasion, and the caption and timing of the post did not sit well with many fans.
“Master Of Puppets,” Crockett wrote in the caption of his photo.
The post quickly attracted critical comments from fans who pointed to the contradiction between Crockett’s stance on Satanic imagery and his apparent embrace of Hetfield. Metallica has long been associated with similar dark themes.
“Metallica used Satanic imagery but I guess that’s ok,” one fan commented. Another wrote: “Oh man…so this is how Chuck gets back on all our good graces? Playing the Hetfield card?”
A third commenter was more pointed in their criticism: “Restarting your ig to try and big boy folks having a little fun with your clowning around, using this pic while James is doing the fucking DEVIL HORNS Charley is really a choice.”
The backlash comes after Crockett had gone silent on social media following the Twin Temple controversy.
The controversy began earlier in July, when Crockett made the abrupt decision to remove Twin Temple from two upcoming tour dates just one week before the shows were scheduled to take place.
Twin Temple is a self-described “Satanic doo-wop” duo comprising married couple Alexandra and Zachary James from Los Angeles. They announced on Instagram that they had been dropped from Crockett’s shows on July 14th and July 18th. Their agent was informed that Crockett had made the decision to remove them specifically due to their “Satanic imagery.” The duo apologized to fans in their announcement and expressed gratitude for the support they received, closing their post with a Satanic salutation.
Crockett publicly defended his decision, framing it as the straightforward prerogative of a headlining artist. “I thought they were like Black Sabbath, but they ain’t. Not today, Satan,” he said. He later added on Facebook: “There are many things I’ve done in my life to apologize for but this ain’t one of them.”
Crockett also attempted to broaden the conversation beyond Twin Temple specifically. He stated that the matter was “not” about Twin Temple in isolation, but rather “about all the hypocrisy out there.” The remarks did little to quell the criticism, and Crockett subsequently went quiet on social media as the backlash intensified.
It was against this charged backdrop that the photo with Hetfield emerged. For many fans, the image of Crockett posing alongside a rock icon whose band built its legacy on dark and transgressive imagery — with Hetfield visibly throwing up the devil horns — read as a glaring inconsistency. The caption referencing Metallica’s “Master Of Puppets” deepened the sense of irony. Comment sections quickly filled with fans calling out what they saw as a double standard.
