When Two Codys Collide: Cody Johnson and Bullfighter Cody Webster Bring Raw Grit and Emotion to “The Fall”.LC
When award-winning, world-renowned country music star Cody Johnson began planning to film the music video for his single “The Fall,” he didn’t have to look far to find the perfect embodiment of true cowboy grit and toughness. He quickly called up his good friend and world champion bullfighter Cody Webster.
“The Fall” is a song about resilience and about hanging on through heartbreak, setbacks, and the moments that test your faith. For Webster, those words ring true in ways that few others could understand. A 12-time PRCA Bullfighter of the Year nominee, Webster’s career has been built on literally facing danger head-on and getting back up no matter how many times life, or in his case, a 1,500-pound bull, knocks you down.
The relationship between Cody Johnson and Cody Webster goes all the way back to 2013 in Las Vegas. That year marked Webster’s first appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and it was also when Johnson was just beginning to make his mark as one of country music’s rising stars.
Both men were just out there chasing their dreams from the ground up, one in the arena, one on the stage. Now, looking back more than a decade later, they have both found themselves at the top of their respective careers.
“I have been fortunate to get to go to the National Finals Rodeo 12 years now running,” Webster said in an interview with Cowboys & Indians magazine. “So every year, ya know, he’s playing out there, and now he’s selling out big stadiums during the finals too.”
Few have faced more literal “falls” than Webster, yet every time, he’s stood up, dusted off, and gone back to work doing what he loves.
The Oklahoma native has fought bulls at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the PBR World Finals a combined 20 times. He was named PRCA Bullfighter of the Year three consecutive seasons and has earned a dozen nominations for that award. He’s also a three-time California Rodeo Salinas Freestyle Champion and was crowned World Champion Bullfighter in 2009.
For the video of “The Fall,” Johnson wanted to really capture the true heart of the cowboy lifestyle. He wanted the audience to see the perseverance, grit, and strength it takes to sometimes just keep going. Casting Webster wasn’t just a smart creative choice — it was personal, too.
“He’s a cowboy, I’m a cowboy. It just fits, you know?” Webster said in that interview.
It definitely fits. The music video follows Webster through the rodeo world and all of the falls. It’s a raw, honest story and a perfectly fitting metaphor for Johnson’s message that sometimes life does throw you for a spin, but you’ve got to get up again with faith that it is all worth it in the end.
