Country music star Morgan Wallen posted a thank you message to those who stuck by him following his deplatforming over a secretly-recorded tape showing an inebriated Wallen using expletives and calling his white friend the N-word.
“I could write a book on 2021,” Wallen wrote in an Instagram post published Saturday. “And I probably will one day. But for now, I wanna say thank you.”
“Thank you to everyone who believed in me and continued to believe in me, even when it wasn’t the popular thing to do,” the country star continued. “Thank you to my family, my band, my friends, and my fans for having my back and sticking up for me when so many were coming for me. I hope my heart has shown through the noise.”
“I go into 2022 feeling inspired and free,” the 28-year-old wrote. “Inspired to create from the heart and free to share those creations with you guys. Im so proud of how far we’ve come together. I still feel like this is just the beginning.”
Wallen closed the post, “God bless y’all let’s crush this year.”
Following the drop of the secretly-recorded video, a solemn Wallen posted a message on his social media discussing the footage, admitting to fans that he was “on hour 72 of a bender.”
“The video you saw was me on hour 72 of a bender, and that’s not something I’m proud of either,” he said. “Obviously, the natural thing to do is to apologize further and continue to apologize because you got caught, and that’s not what I wanted to do.”
“I let so many people down who mean a lot to me, who have given so much to me, it’s just not fair,” Wallen continued. “I let my parents down and they’re the furthest thing from the person in that video. I let my son down and I’m not OK with that.”
The then-27-year-old said he was offered the opportunity to have “some very real and honest conversations” with leaders of various black organizations, according to Fox News. He also pledged $500,000 to black charities.
Despite his immediate apology, numerous musical platforms and radio stations banned Wallen’s music over the tape, effectively “canceling” him. But his support did not drop.
Fans refused to shun the singer, landing his the best-selling album in 2021. Fox News reported Wednesday that Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album” has sold 3 million copies, unexpectedly outpacing anticipated albums like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” EP and Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy.”
As highlighted by The Daily Wire, folks in the music industry like Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Diplo, and Jake Owen publicly offered support to Wallen following the video, too. Additionally, the “Dangerous” singer’s Saturday post was accompanied by messages of support from Owen and Cole Swindell and “liked” by Jesse James Decker.
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Related: The Musicians Supporting Morgan Wallen Following Deplatforming Over Secretly-Recorded N-Word Tape