Just when you might have been thinking that 2021 could be the year of redemption for Morgan Wallen… think again.
Wallen’s record label Big Loud announced Wednesday that they have suspended him indefinitely, in the wake of a recent video of Wallen using a racial slur. iHeart Radio has also pulled all Morgan Wallen songs from their affiliated stations. The video, posted by TMZ on Tuesday night (February 2) shows Wallen stumbling home after a night out with some friends. In the video, you see the group causing a disturbance in the Nashville neighborhood where he resides. Wallen then unleashes a plethora of profanity and racial slurs, including the N-word.
After the video surfaced, Wallen issued a statement to TMZ to address his actions, saying: “I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take 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.” However, many country music artists took to Twitter to weigh in on the controversy themselves; arguing that Wallen’s apology wasn’t necessarily sincere, and there is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed.
Kelsea Ballerini tweeted, “The news out of Nashville tonight does not represent country music.” To which Maren Morris tweeted in response, “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. We all know it wasn’t his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse.”
Mickey Guyton shared on her Twitter, “this is not his first time using that “unacceptable” racial slur and we all known that. So what exactly are y’all going to do about it. Crickets won’t work this time.” And singer Jason Isbell, whose song “Cover me Up” was covered by Wallen on his new chart-topping double album, also weighed in on the drama. Calling Wallen’s actions “disgusting and horrifying.” He also added, “this is an opportunity for the country music industry to give that spot to somebody who deserves it, and there are lots of black artists who deserve it.”
Just 15 hours after the initial video was posted to TMZ, Big Loud took to their Instagram this morning (February 3) to issue the following statement:
“In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s record contract immediately. Republic Records fully supports Big Loud’s decision and agrees such behavior will not be tolerated.”
Since his initial statement to TMZ, Wallen has not issued any further comments or statements. This is a developing story, stay with Stars and Guitars for the latest.
