The Story of a Fight Between Kris Kristofferson and Toby Keith Has Long Been Disputed

As both an actor and a country singer, Kris Kristofferson leaves behind an immense legacy. Following the news of his death at 88, many are revisiting some of the most important moments of his career.

Among those moments is a story that has been circulating since 2009 about a confrontation between Kris and fellow country singer Toby Keith. Now, following the news of his death, many want to know whether the story is true, and where it actually comes from. Here's what we know.

The story of a confrontation between the two country music singers comes from a profile of Kris from 2009 that was published in Rolling Stone. The profile was written by actor Ethan Hawke, and it opens with an anecdote that feels too good to be true.

That anecdote dates back to 2003 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, where a concert was being held to celebrate Willie Nelson's 70th birthday.

The piece names many of the attendees, but refers to the person that Kris had the confrontation with as "The Star." The profile says that this star “had a monster radio hit about bombing America’s enemies back into the Stone Age," which basically means that it was Toby Keith, who had released “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)” in 2002 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The concert in question took place weeks after the invasion of Iraq, and started when "The Star" wished Willie a happy birthday and then told Kris that he shouldn't perform "that lefty s--t out there.” Things got out of hand quickly after that.

“What the f--k did you just say to me?” Kris reportedly asked. "The Star" said, "You heard me," and Kris replied by telling him not to turn his back.

“I don’t want any problems, Kris — I just want you to tone it down," "The Star" then said.

“You ever worn your country’s uniform?” Kris said in response. "What?" "The Star" replied.

“Don’t ‘What?’ me, boy! You heard the question. You just don’t like the answer," he continued. “I asked, ‘Have you ever served your country?’ The answer is, no, you have not. Have you ever killed another man? Huh? Have you ever taken another man’s life and then cashed the check your country gave you for doing it? No, you have not. So shut the f--k up! You don’t know what the hell you are talking about!”

Kris then turned to Ethan after "The Star" walked away and said “You know what Waylon Jennings said about guys like him? They’re doin’ to country music what pantyhose did to finger-f--kin’," he said.

Kris said that he didn't remember saying anything like that to Ethan, and also disputed other details in the story, adding that he had "nothing but respect" for Toby. He did add that his wife remembered it happening. Toby Keith, meanwhile, ripped Ethan to shreds for writing the story.