This Is How Country Stars Are Reacting To Morgan Wallen's Use Of A Racial Slur
Morgan Wallen is at the center of controversy once again. In security camera footage published by TMZ on Feb. 2, 2021, the country singer is seen yelling profanities late at night as he walks up his driveway following a "rowdy night with friends." Apparently, Wallen and his buddies returned home after their night out and caused a ruckus, honking horns and being loud. This caught the attention of one of his neighbors, who then started recording the scene. In the neighbor's doorbell camera footage, Wallen is clearly heard referring to one of the men in his group as the n-word.
The "Dangerous" singer was last involved in drama days before he was scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live in October 2020. His invitation to perform on the sketch comedy show was revoked once a TikTok video surfaced that showed Wallen partying with fans without facial coverings at a bar in Alabama, breaking social distancing measures, per NPR.
In regards to his use of the racial slur, Wallen issued a statement to TMZ, saying he is "embarrassed and sorry" for using the n-word and wishes he could take it back. "There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better," he added.
Upon hearing the news, fans and fellow musicians alike expressed their disappointment in Wallen's actions — even after his apology. Keep reading to learn just what some country stars said.
Country stars are not happy with Morgan Wallen's use of a racial slur
Country musicians held nothing back upon hearing the news of Morgan Wallen's use of a racial slur. "Homecoming Queen" singer Kelsea Ballerini immediately took to Twitter to say Wallen's words do not represent country music. However, her fellow award-winning female country musician Maren Morris disagreed. "It actually IS representative of our town because this isn't his first 'scuffle' and he just demolished a huge streaming record last month regardless," the "Girl" singer slammed. "We all know it wasn't his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse."
Meanwhile, Mickey Guyton, a Black female country artist — an obvious minority in the genre — expressed her disappointment with a string of tweets. "How many passes will you continue to give? ... No one deserves to be canceled but this is unacceptable," she said, remembering Wallen's previous controversies. She went on to agree with Morris that this most likely was not the "7 Summers" singer's first time using the n-word. "When I read comments saying 'this is not who we are' I laugh because this is exactly who country music is. I've witnessed it for 10 gd years," she continued.
Following the report, Wallen's music label Big Loud suspended him "indefinitely" (per Page Six) and his music was banned from Cumulus Media radio stations, per TMZ. It looks like an apology from Wallen isn't going to quite cut it.