Inside Morgan Wallen's Relationship With Megan Moroney
Country singers Morgan Wallen and Megan Moroney both got their start in talent competitions. Wallen competed on "The Voice" in 2014, making it to the playoffs as a member of Adam Levine's team after the Maroon 5 frontman snatched him away from Usher, per People. "My mom actually signed me up for 'The Voice' ... I didn't even know what it was," Wallen said on "Deer Season '22."
Wallen would go on to become one of country music's biggest chart-topping stars, breaking multiple Billboard records. In 2022, his song "You Proof" made history by keeping its top spot on the Country Airplay chart for nine weeks, while his sophomore album, "Dangerous: The Double Album," remained in the Billboard 200 Top 10 for 86 weeks, which is unprecedented for a solo artist, per The New York Times.
The talent show Megan Moroney competed in wasn't quite as big. In 2016, the former University of Georgia student won the Miss Sorority Row pageant, which included a talent portion. "I sang 'Strawberry Wine' with my dad," she recalled on "Bobby Cast." Later on, her sorority asked her to perform at a charity event, and "Eyes on You" singer Chase Rice happened to be in the crowd. He was so impressed that he invited Moroney to open for him at his Georgia Theatre show. But, when Moroney released her song, "Tennessee Orange," it was Wallen who boosted her country cred in a novel way.
How Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen sparked romance rumors
Before she launched her country music career, Megan Moroney studied accounting and digital marketing at the University of Georgia. On "Bobby Cast," she explained that the latter seemed like a natural fit because she was already making a decent living as an influencer, building her following by performing covers of songs on social media. Her built-in fanbase helped make her first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, "Tennessee Orange," a viral sensation on TikTok. The ballad tells a love story about two star-crossed lovers caught up in an SEC rivalry: A die-hard University of Georgia fan falls so hard for a University of Tennessee supporter that she's willing to wear "Tennessee Orange," even though she feels immense guilt over her betrayal of the Bulldogs.
In the single art for "Tennessee Orange," Moroney is wearing a Tennessee Volunteers T-shirt. Two TikTok sleuths pointed out that Wallen had worn a similar shirt before. They also noted that Wallen and Moroney had exchanged flirty comments on Instagram. In response to the promotional photo of Moroney wearing the shirt, Wallen wrote, "GBO," which is an acronym for "Go Big Orange." When the garment made an appearance in another post, he commented, "Did we ever figure out who's shirt this is??" Moroney replied, "It's mine now." For some, this seemed to confirm that the two were dating. "Ok so now we're all heartbroken in a hair salon," wrote a disappointed Wallen fan.
Megan Moroney's confession about 'the shirt'
When she appeared on SiriusXM's "The Highway" in November 2022, Megan Moroney was grilled about where she got that Tennessee Volunteers shirt and the identity of the blue-eyed boy she sings about falling in love with in "Tennessee Orange." Morgan Wallen's name naturally came up, and the "Wonder" singer finally broke down and confessed, "I mean, it is his shirt." However, she added, "But it's just a shirt." She also explained that the inspiration for "Tennessee Orange" came to her when she put a Volunteers T-shirt on and it just felt oh-so-wrong. However, she played coy when she was asked if she had a boyfriend. "That's a great question," she slyly replied.
Wallen fueled the romance rumors further when he released his own song about finding love with someone who roots for a college football rival. However, the love interest in "Tennessee Fan" is an Alabama Crimson Tide devotee. "Guess the joke's on Alabama, 'cause they lost big this time / I got the No. 1 pick, blonde hair, red lips, brought her over to the other side," he sings, per Genius.
Moroney did not seem to mind that Wallen wasn't singing about a University of Georgia gal like herself. When Wallen shared snippets of the songs "Tennessee Fan," "Days That End in Why," and "One Thing at a Time" on Instagram, Moroney wrote in the comments, "Can I pick a favorite?" A fan replied, "Maybe the one thats about YOU?"