Country singer Morgan Wallen posted an apology video Wednesday evening that discussed his sobriety and his efforts to make amends for saying the N-word to a white friend after a night out in Nashville.
“The video you saw was me on hour 72 of a bender, and that’s not something I’m proud of either,” a solemn Wallen says in the video, posted to social media and sent to TMZ. “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,” he said. “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 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.
“This week I heard firsthand some personal stories from Black people that honestly shook me,” he explained. “And I know what I’m going through this week doesn’t even compare to some of the trials I about from them. I came away from those discussions with a deep appreciation for them and a clearer understanding of the weight of my words.”
“Our actions matter,” Wallen said. “Our words matter and I just want to encourage anyone watching to please learn from my mistake. There’s no reason to downplay what I did. It matters and please know I’m carefully choosing my next steps in repair.”
Wallen said he tends to make mistakes when he’s not sober and announced he’s been sober for nine days.
“I’ve decided to go off the grid for a little while and get used to making good decisions,” he told his fans. “I want my team, my family, my friends and even strangers to trust me. Hell, I wanna trust me. Who knows if I’ll be able to live down all the mistakes I’ve made, but I’m certainly going to try.”
TMZ published a video reportedly recorded by a neighbor showing Wallen using expletives and the N-word after a night out in Nashville with friends:
Morgan Wallen returned home Sunday from a rowdy night with friends, and as he walked up his driveway he hurled the n-word and other profanities, it’s all on video and Wallen is remorseful.
The country star and a group of buddies had just spent a night out in Nashville. When they arrived at Morgan’s home at around midnight, they were extremely loud … honking horns and talking loudly … loud enough to piss off neighbors. One of the neighbors began recording the antics.
As Morgan appears to stumble toward his house, he tells someone to watch over a guy in his group. He says … “take care of this p****-ass mother******” — and then goes on to say, “take care of this p****-ass n*****” … before finally heading in.
The country star released a statement of apology and a promise to “do better.” “I’m embarrassed and sorry,” the “7 Summers” singer said. “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.”
Following the video, Wallen’s music was removed from numerous platforms. The Daily Wire reported:
Wallen’ music was pulled by Cumulus Media. The country music heavyweight sent a directive to all of its 400-plus stations to remove Wallen’s songs from their playlists “effective immediately,” Variety reported.
iHeartRadio, Entercom, cable network CMT, satellite service SiriusXM, and streaming service Pandora have all also removed the 27-year-old’s songs. Variety noted that Wallen’s music is not currently appearing on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, too. Nashville-based label Big Loud has suspended their contract with Wallen “indefinitely.”
Additionally, as reported by the New York Post, Wallen “has been disqualified from performing at or receiving any recognition during the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards.”
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