A little venom doesn’t scare Hardy.
The country musician, born Michael Wilson Hardy, on Wednesday shared an Instagram video in which he looks cheekily at the camera and says, “Nature, with Hardy,” before leaping toward a snake and seizing it off the ground. The snake wheels around wildly, eventually coiling itself on Hardy’s forearm.
“Some kind of water snake,” Hardy notes as the snake clamps onto his knuckles and refuses to detach. The musician eventually shouts “Let go!” at the snake and struggles with it. The singer speaks to the camera, but is drowned out by his own tune, “Favorite Country Song.”
“Yeah you probably don’t know about a north wind blowing / through a patch of pines, / whip-poor-wills singing ’bout summertime,” Hardy’s song croons, as the singer is finally able to dislodge the snake’s fangs from his hand. Still, he’s in no hurry to remove it from his arm altogether, nonchalantly showing it off to the camera before the video cuts to him finding an arrowhead.
“Rednecker than me,” country musician Koe Wetzel joked in the comments.
Hardy tagged Robert Irwin in the post, likening the outdoor adventures he occasionally posts to Instagram and YouTube to the work done by the Australian conservationist, Crikey! It’s the Irwins star, and son of famed zookeeper Steve Irwin.
“Favorite Country Song” is Hardy’s most recent release, alongside the single “Buck on the Wall,” both of which arrived on April 11. They mark Hardy’s first new releases since 2024’s Quit!!, his third studio album.
Jason Koerner/Getty
The songs will be included on the EP Country!, due out May 2. Hardy also makes his official Grand Ole Opry debut on April 29.
The musician opened up about his mental health to his fans and followers in a 2023 Instagram post, reflecting on a frightening incident from the year before.
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“I need to be honest with everyone for a second, I’ve been dealing with some serious anxiety since the bus accident last year, and over the last two weeks it has taken control of my life,” Hardy revealed, referencing his tour bus overturning on a Nashville freeway in Oct. 2022.
Hardy said he began suffering panic attacks following the accident and canceled two upcoming concerts. The singer has since recovered from his injuries, and welcomed his first child with wife Caleigh Ryan in March.