Kelsea Ballerini got extra vulnerable during her recent show in Sydney, Australia, opening up to the crowd about her regrets surrounding the release of Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. While she remains incredibly proud of the project and acknowledges how it changed her life, she admitted that it also “hurt a lot of people,” and she wishes she had handled parts of it differently.
Opening night in Sydney took a turn when a concertgoer interrupted her performance of “Penthouse” by shouting “Team Morgan,” referencing her ex-husband. Ballerini immediately paused, dropped an understandably-earned f-bomb, and firmly responded with, “Team everyone’s happy.”
Shortly after the show, she took to Instagram to address the incident, warning fans that she would remove the song from her setlist if the disrespect continued.
“Respectfully, if anyone yells anything disrespectful to anyone during this song again, it will no longer be on the set list,” she wrote.
Fans have long taken advantage of the dramatic pause in “Penthouse,” ever since someone first shouted “F*** you Morgan” early in the song’s live history—a moment that unintentionally turned into a trend. In fact, Ballerini even kept that fan shout in the “healed” version of the track. So when she says she wishes she had done some things differently, this might be one of the examples she’s quietly referring to.
Though years have passed and both Kelsea and Morgan have clearly moved on with their lives, some fans haven’t let go. Just a few months ago, another audience member yelled at Morgan during a show, prompting her to stop mid-performance and say:
“Guys, you have to stop saying that,” she said, shaking her head. “Seriously. We are three years past it. Everything is fine now. I sing this song for you now. It’s not about me anymore. Please. Please. Alright, for everyone that is moving forward with their life, will you sing this with me?”
Through it all, one thing remains clear: Kelsea Ballerini is an exceptionally talented songwriter, and she deserves full credit—not just for the music she creates, but for the grace, growth, and honesty she continues to show along the way!
