Country music star Jo Dee Messina has revealed the brutal comment from a Nashville record label that has haunted her for decades.
The 55-year-old singer admitted she was once rejected early in her career because executives believed she was 'too fat' to sign during her recent appearance on The Bobby Bones Show.
The Bye Bye hitmaker recalled that the criticism was delivered bluntly to her producer while she was trying to land her first major deal in Music City.
'I remember I got turned down by a record label in Nashville. They said I was too fat,' she said.
'They told my producer that, "Oh, if she was 10 pounds lighter, we'd have signed her."'
Messina admitted the harsh rejection left her crushed - and the sting has never quite faded.
Country music star Jo Dee Messina has revealed the brutal comment from a Nashville record label that has haunted her for decades; (pictured March 2026)
The 55-year-old singer admitted she was once rejected early in her career because executives believed she was 'too fat' to sign during her recent appearance on The Bobby Bones Show; (pictured May 2006)
'It's 30 years later, I'm still talking about it. I didn't let it go,' she admitted.
Daily Mail has reached out to Messina's representatives for comment.
Despite the devastating blow, the country singer said she found encouragement from her biggest supporter: her sister.
Messina recalled being urged to keep chasing her dream, with her sister reminding her that rejection is part of the business and telling her: 'They say you have to get passed on a thousand times before you get a deal.'
Her persistence ultimately paid off.
Messina rose to prominence during the late 1990s country boom, becoming one of the genre's biggest female stars of the era.
She scored six No. 1 singles on the Billboard country charts, including hits such as Bye Bye, I'm Alright, Stand Beside Me and Bring On the Rain with Tim McGraw.
Her 1996 self-titled debut album introduced her to mainstream audiences with the breakout single Heads Carolina, Tails California, and she followed it with the hugely successful I'm Alright, which went double platinum.
Messina also made history at the time by becoming the first female country artist to score three multiple-week No. 1 songs from the same album, cementing her place as one of the genre's most successful acts of the decade.
However, her career has also been marked by a number of personal challenges.
In 2017, the singer revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer and was forced to postpone a number of tour dates in order to begin treatment.
Messina has never publicly disclosed the exact type of cancer she was battling, but she stepped away from performing to focus on her health while undergoing treatment and medical testing.
The diagnosis came during an already difficult period in her life.
Around the same time, Messina went through a divorce from her husband, Chris Deffenbaugh, leaving her to raise their two young sons as a single mother while navigating her health battle.
The singer later said the experience reshaped both her outlook on life and her music, with faith playing a major role in helping her through the ordeal.
Messina has spoken candidly in past interviews about the perseverance and personal growth behind her career.
'It's 30 years later, I'm still talking about it. I didn't let it go,' she admitted;
In 2007, reflecting on delays in releasing her Unmistakable album, she admitted, 'It sucked the life right out of you... I was bitchy and lashed out at my label because it felt like my career momentum kept screeching to a halt.'
She has also credited her faith and family for helping her through difficult times, telling Get Up! America that she was 'leaning on God' while managing her health struggles, adding that her children witnessed both her strongest and most vulnerable moments.
In late 2025, Messina began teasing new music on social media, posting studio clips and hinting at collaborations, sharing lyrics like, 'Some bridges are meant to build and some bridges are meant to burn,' offering fans a glimpse of the upcoming Bridges album.
She captioned one behind-the-scenes video: 'Are you as ready as I am for new music?" -- her first full-length release in 12 years.
Despite the setbacks, Messina gradually returned to performing and recording new material, drawing inspiration from the challenges she had faced.
More than two decades after first breaking into country music, Messina continues to tour and connect with fans - and she is now preparing for her next chapter.
The singer is set to release her first studio album in 12 years, Bridges, marking her long-awaited return to new music after more than a decade.