The bad boy of country music. Morgan Wallen has faced a series of controversies throughout his career.
The “Whiskey Glasses” singer got his start on season 6 of The Voice in 2014, where he was a member of Adam Levine’s team but got knocked out during the playoffs. Two years after his appearance on the singing competition he signed a deal with Big Loud Records.
As Wallen started to gain success and praise in the music industry, he had a run-in with the law. The Tennessee native was arrested outside Kid Rock’s Nashville bar, Big Honky Tonk, for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in May 2020. He was later cleared of the charges.
Following the arrest, Wallen made headlines five months later after TikTok videos showed him partying without a face mask and kissing multiple women at college bars in Tuscaloosa, Alabama amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The “More Than My Hometown” crooner was scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live a few weeks later but the NBC comedy series announced shortly after he was no longer welcome to perform after the clips surfaced online citing that he had broken the show’s strict COVID-19 protocols.
“I’m in New York City, in a hotel room. I was getting ready for SNL this Saturday, and I got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play. And that’s because of COVID protocols, which I understand,” he said in October 2020. “I’m not positive for COVID, but my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted and that have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams. I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy. I take ownership for this.”
The following year, Wallen sparked controversy again after TMZ published a video of him saying the N-word in February 2021. Several of the biggest names in country music including Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and more slammed the CMA winner for his problematic words. While Wallen publicly apologized for his actions he faced several consequences including a brief suspension from his record label, being barred from many awards shows and getting his music taken off of various music platforms.
“I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back,” he said in a statement at the time. “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.”
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