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“Thrown Out in the Middle of the Night” — Gretchen Wilson’s Hotel Drama Sparks Online Outrage
It was supposed to be just another night after a show. But for Gretchen Wilson, the “Redneck Woman” herself, it turned into a headline-grabbing drama that fans are still talking about.
In the early hours of October 13, after performing at the Las Cruces Country Music Festival in New Mexico, Gretchen checked into the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces to rest. But rest was the last thing she got. At around 3:30 a.m., hotel staff called the police, claiming noise complaints from other guests. Minutes later, cops were knocking on her door.
Bodycam footage released later shows officers entering her room — where Wilson, wearing a robe and looking more tired than angry, calmly tried to explain herself. “It’s just us two,” she said. “How can we be too loud?” Her voice was steady, but her frustration was clear.
According to Gretchen, there was no wild party, no loud music — just her and her fiancé talking over a glass of wine after a long night. “No party, no music, not even a TV on,” she later told fans online. “I was kicked out in the middle of the night for no reason.”
But hotel staff told a different story. They claimed they’d already warned her multiple times. Security said they heard “a glass break” and even “arguing” from the room. One employee alleged Wilson had snapped back, “Call the cops,” when asked to quiet down.
When officers entered, the footage reportedly showed a TV playing softly in the background — a small detail that fueled both sides of the argument. Fans jumped to her defense, while critics said the hotel had every right to act.
At one point, an employee offered to let her stay until morning. But Gretchen, visibly emotional, refused. “We’re not going to stay,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “We’ve been treated like s*** since we got here.”
By sunrise, the country singer was gone — no arrest, no charges, just a bitter aftertaste and a trending hashtag.
This isn’t Wilson’s first clash with authority. In 2018, she was arrested after a “minor disturbance” on a flight — a charge later dropped after she completed community service. Back then, she laughed it off. This time, she’s not laughing.
Social media lit up with support from fans calling the incident “ridiculous” and “a waste of police time.” Others, though, said the footage showed a celebrity expecting special treatment.
So who was right? Was Gretchen Wilson unfairly treated — or was the hotel just doing its job?
Either way, the scene is pure country drama: a late-night misunderstanding, flashing lights outside a hotel, and a singer who refuses to back down.
Because, as one fan put it best on Twitter: “You can take the girl out of the honky-tonk, but you can’t take the fight out of Gretchen Wilson.”
