Morgan Wallen’s N-Word Fallout
Morgan Wallen has won three Billboard Track Awards ahead of the 2021 repeat despite being banned from acting on it since he drew controversy earlier this yr over a video that confirmed him using a racial slur, for which he apologized.
On the morning of Sunday, Would possibly maybe perhaps 23, most of the winners of the 2021 Billboard Track Awards had been announced several hours ahead of the ceremony, which airs in the night on NBC. Morgan won Top Nation Artist, Top Nation Male Artist and Top Nation Album for Bad: The Double Album. Morgan became nominated for six awards.
These marked the first awards the Tennessee native, who lately turned 28, has won since a TMZ posted in February a leaked video exhibiting him asserting the N-note and other expletives as he returned from a night out with visitors in Nashville. The footage, reportedly filmed by a neighbor, sparked an on-line backlash.
“I’m embarrassed and sorry,” Morgan acknowledged in an announcement to E! News on the time. “I venerable an unacceptable and gruesome racial slur that I need I would maybe well expend abet. There are no excuses to make utilize of this originate of language, ever. I are searching out for to sincerely apologize for using the note. I promise to originate greater.”
Following the controversy, Morgan became banned from acting on the 2021 Billboard Track Awards. He became, nonetheless, no longer barred from being nominated, because the finalists of the award repeat are chosen in step with their performance on Billboard charts, to boot to song sales, streaming platform statistics, radio airplay and social engagement. Many of Morgan’s fans get persevered to strengthen him despite the backlash and his song has persevered to defective excessive on nation song charts.
“Morgan Wallen is a finalist this yr in step with charting,” dick clark productions and studio MRC acknowledged in an announcement in dreary April. “As his fresh behavior does no longer align with our core values, we is no longer going to be together with him on the repeat in any skill (performing, presenting, accepting). It’s heartening and encouraging to listen to that Morgan is taking steps in his anti-racist run and initiating to originate some essential work. We opinion to deem his progress and would maybe well expend into consideration his participation in future reveals.”
Also after the controversy, the Academy of Nation Track deemed Morgan ineligible to be nominated for honors or to seem on the 56th annual ACM Awards, which took put in April. To boot to, CMT and iHeartMedia removed his appearances from their platforms, Spotify and Apple Track dropped his songs from their curated playlists, reserving agency WME removed the “Me on Whiskey” singer from their roster and fasten Spacious Loud Files suspended his recording contract indefinitely.
Morgan has no longer commented on his Billboard Track Award wins. On Saturday, Would possibly maybe perhaps 22, a day ahead of the ceremony, he posted an Instagram video exhibiting him performing on an acoustic guitar a brand unique song, “Concept You Must Know,” that he acknowledged he wrote for his mother a “whereas in the past.” He acknowledged it “gave the affect esteem an acceptable time to portion it.”
The lyrics encompass, “Been chasing songs and girls folk / Making some defective decisions / God is conscious of I’m ingesting too extra special.”
(E! and NBC are both portion of the NBCUniversal household.)