Entertainment Music Country Music Carly Pearce Says Lainey Wilson and Kelsea Ballerini Texted Her After Concert Heckler Moment: 'They've Got My Back' "We deserve to be able to stand up for ourselves," Pearce previously told PEOPLE of the situation at We Fest on Aug. 2 By Daniela Avila Daniela Avila Daniela Avila is an editorial assistant at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2021. Her work previously appeared on The Poly Post. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 15, 2024 03:55PM EDT Comments Lainey Wilson, Carly Pearce and Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Presley Ann/Getty; Taylor Hill/WireImage; Jason Kempin/Getty Lainey Wilson and Kelsea Ballerini are girl's girls. In a Wednesday, Aug. 14 appearance on The Viall Files podcast with Nick Viall, Carly Pearce opened up about the love — and backlash — she received after she had a heckler removed from her set at We Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on Aug. 2. "So many people have said it's awesome that you stood up for yourself," Pearce, 34, said. "There's of course other people who are like, 'You shouldn't have said those words.' And it's like, 'I understand but haven't you been a human and blown up at any point in your life?'" She continued, "I've had other female country artists be like, 'Thank you for showing we are just like anybody else. We shouldn't be held to this standard that we can't call somebody out." Carly Pearce on Her Tour Essentials, Year of the Cowgirl and Why Women Deserve to 'Stand Up' for Themselves (Exclusive) When asked who specifically reached out, Pearce said Ballerini, 30, and Wilson, 32, texted her within five minutes of each other. "That's how I knew it got viral," she said. "I was like, 'Uh oh. This isn't good.' But they were so supportive and it was girls aligned in that moment. I think it's great." "Nobody really understands. The females in country music, there's so few of us. When you have that kind of support from people that you love and are genuinely building you up, they're like 'I see you' and they understand it on a level that my girlfriend isn't going to understand," she continued. "I'm glad to know they've got my back too." Carly Pearce performs in Nashville in April 2024. Jason Kempin/Getty When the "What He Didn't Do" singer opened up to PEOPLE about the moment earlier this month, she said people should be "reprimanded for their actions." "You can't be mean to people and expect people to tolerate it," she said. "Especially as women, we're conditioned to kind of just take it, and I want that stigma to go away because we deserve to be able to stand up for ourselves. People need to be nicer. I hope that people are nicer and maybe think a little before they speak." Carly Pearce Removes Heckler from Festival Set After 'Disrespect': 'I Do Not Have Time for Dicks' At the festival, the "Next Girl" singer briefly paused her set before revealing that the attendee who was removed was being "mean" and treating her with "disrespect." In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) and captured by local radio host Ian Godfrey, Pearce said to the man in the crowd: "Somebody get him out of here. I do not want him at my show." "If you're gonna be an assh---, then you're gonna have to say it to me and get the f--- out of my show," she continued. "I do not have time for dicks. See ya later." While it was unclear what the man said to prompt her reaction, Godfrey wrote in a follow-up post that when Pearce told the crowd she "wanted to tell you all a little about me," the man yelled "no one cares." Close