Country star Morgan Wallen's recording contract suspended after video shows him shouting a racial slur
Country star Morgan Wallen has apologized after a video surfaced showed him shouting a racial slur. The video, which was first published by TMZ on Tuesday night, showed him outside a home in Nashville, Tennessee yelling profanities.
Wallen said in a statement to TMZ that he is 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," his statement said.
Reaction in the music industry was swift. On Wednesday, Big Loud Records tweeted it was suspending Wallen's recording contract "indefinitely." A spokesperson for radio giant iHeartMedia told The Tennessean they had removed Wallen's music from rotation.
CMT said it was removing Wallen's performances on all its platforms in light of the racial slur. "We do not tolerate or condone words and actions that are in direct opposition to our core values that celebrate diversity, equity & inclusion," CMT said in a tweet.
Wallen's new record "Dangerous: The Double Album" has hit three weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. He has had hits with songs like "Whiskey Glasses" and "Up Down" with Florida Georgia Line.
Hi success has come despite a number of mistakes and stumbles that he has also apologized for. Wallen was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in May 2020 after getting kicked out of a downtown Nashville bar.
In October, "Saturday Night Live" dropped him from a scheduled performance on their show after he violated COVID-19 protocols when videos appeared on social media of him partying with fans in Alabama. He was later invited back on the show in December, where he appeared in a skit making fun of himself.
Other country stars criticized his actions publicly.
"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," tweeted country star Maren Morris. "We all know it wasn't his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse."