Morgan Wallen apologizes for using N-word, gets dropped by radio stations
- by Leland Aguilar
- in Entertaiment
- — Feb 4, 2021
"In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen's recording contract indefinitely", reads a tweet.
TMZ first shared video of Wallen arriving home after a night out and using the N-word as he said goodbye to a friend.
After the video was released, Wallen issued a statement via TMZ. "I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back", he said.
Morgan Wallen is facing some major consequences after a video surfaced of him using the N-word. "I promise to do better", the singer said in a statement obtained by "GMA".
Morgan is listed as one of the headline performers at Country Thunder Iowa in Forest City on June 11-13. Wallen's utterance, as the face of the genre right now, is likely to stand as a huge setback in those efforts and reinforce stereotypes... which even some stars of the format are saying are true stereotypes.
But the fall from the top has been swift. Radio giants iHeartMedia and Entercom soon followed suit, as did the country music television network CMT. "The Academy does not condone or support intolerance or behavior that does not align with our commitment and dedication to diversity and inclusion", the ACM statement said. His songs have also been scrubbed from some Spotify and Apple Music playlists, per the BBC. Wallen is inked to Nashville-based Big Loud Records, which has also birthed the careers of country acts like Florida Georgia Line and Chris Lane. In May 2020, he was arrested for public intoxication outside of a Nashville bar.
Then came the "SNL" situation in October, when Wallen was disinvited from the show after he partied maskless in a packed Alabama bar following a college football game, thereby violating the show's COVID-19 protocols. He eventually appeared on the show in December, poking fun at the incident in a sketch. Republic Records/Universal, which distributes Big Loud, has publicly criticized him. "We all know that isn't his first time saying that word". "We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse". It's also queer. Racial epithets and derogatory language about race or sexuality should not be tolerated.
The move was followed Wednesday by iHeartMedia, the largest radio network in the USA, with 850-plus stations.
Among the country music stars to speak out is Maren Morris who dismissed the idea that Wallen's latest behavior was just a blip. WHITE RIVER BROADCASTING Country WKKG/BLOOMINGTON, IN, PD/morning host RICK DANIELS wrote, "I'm talking with management about this". It seems like the country community is really trying to reckon with the racism within it, so we hope they continue to hold him accountable for his actions.
