Morgan Wallen is currently one of the biggest names in country music.
Wallen, 31, came onto the scene as a contestant on “The Voice” in 2014 and over the past decade, his rise has been meteoric.
His latest studio album, “One Thing at a Time,” broke the record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a country album on the Billboard 200 chart, and last year he swept the Billboard Music Awards with 11 wins, including for Top Country Artist.
Wallen has also collaborated with country music heavy hitters including Eric Church, Hardy, Miranda Lambert and Darius Rucker, and he crossed genres with his recent partnership with rapper Post Malone, who also released a country album.
The singer has also made headlines for some of his personal decisions. Read on to learn more about some of the controversies that have surrounded Wallen over the years.
January 2016: Wallen arrested, charged with driving under the influence
On Jan. 18, 2016, Wallen was arrested and charged with a DUI, according to online records from the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk in Nashville, Tennessee.
Wallen appeared in court in June 2016 and his case was ultimately dismissed.
May 2020: Wallen arrested, charged with public intoxication
On May 24, 2020, Wallen was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication, according to Davidson County court records.
His arrest came after the country singer was thrown out of Kid Rock’s honky-tonk steakhouse in Nashville.
Wallen was ejected from the bar after being disorderly and “kicking glass items,” Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV News 4 reported at the time, citing a police report.
Wallen addressed the incident in a since-deleted post on Twitter, now known as X.
“Hey y’all just wanted to clear the air. I went out downtown last night with a few old friends. After a couple bar stops, we were horse-playing with each other. We didn’t mean any harm, and we want to say sorry to any bar staff or anyone that was affected,” he said in the tweet, NBC News reported in 2020.
“Thank you to the local authorities for being so professional and doing their job with class. Love y’all,” he also posted on Twitter, according to NBC News.
Wallen appeared in court for both cases in July 2020, and both ended with a nolle prosequi motion, according to court records, meaning the cases were dismissed.
October 2020: Wallen faces public backlash for allegedly violating Covid-19 protocols
In early October 2020, Wallen was seen partying without a mask in multiple TikTok videos, allegedly violating Covid-19 restrictions, NBC News reported at the time.
He had been scheduled to appear as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” but shortly after these videos surfaced, he was pulled from the show’s lineup, NBC News reported.
Wallen addressed his actions in a now-deleted Instagram video.
“I’m not positive for Covid but my actions this past weekend were pretty shortsighted and they have obviously affected my long term goals and my dreams,” he said, according to NBC News. “I respect the show’s decision, because I know that I put them in jeopardy and I take ownership for this.”
“I think I’ve lost myself a little bit,” he also said. “I’ve tried to find joy in the wrong places and, I don’t know, it’s left me with less joy,” Wallen said. “So I’m going to go try to work on that. I’m going to take a step back from the spotlight for a little while and go work on myself.”
Wallen was later rebooked as the "SNL" musical guest that December and mocked his cancelation in a sketch.
February 2021: Wallen’s recording contract suspended after his use of a racial slur
In early February 2021, TMZ shared a video of a person who appeared to be Wallen using a racial slur.
Soon after the video surfaced, Wallen was suspended from his recording label, Big Loud Records.
“In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely,” the label wrote in an X post. “Republic Records fully supports Big Loud’s decision and agrees such behavior will not be tolerated.”
Wallen issued an apology statement that was obtained by NBC News.
“I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back," Wallen said. "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.”
Wallen also addressed the incident a few weeks later on Instagram.
“The video you saw was me on hour 72 of 72 of a bender and that’s not something I’m proud of," he said in the video.
“I let so many people down who mean a lot to me and who have given so much to me and it’s just not fair,” he also said in the video.
He added that he had received invitations from Black leaders to discuss what had happened.
“One thing I’ve learned already, that I’m specifically sorry for, is that it matters, my words matter. A word can truly hurt a person,” he said later in the video. “Our actions matter, our words matter, and I want to encourage anyone who’s watching to please learn from my mistake.”
In addition to being suspended by his record label, Wallen’s music was temporarily dropped from radio and streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music and iHeartMedia, according toTheAssociated Press.
Wallen’s suspension from his recording label was not permanent, and he is currently included on Big Loud’s artist roster.
April 2021: Wallen cancels summer tour dates
Wallen announced he was canceling his planned upcoming summer tour dates in a handwritten letter to fans posted on X.
“2020 … Man, what a tough year for so many. For me, my tough year carried into 2021. I’ve made some mistakes, I’m figuring those out, and I apologized because I was truly sorry and have been making my amends,” he wrote in one part of the letter.
“I wanted to let you guys know that I’ve taken a couple months away and feel like I’ve really worked on myself,” he also wrote.
Wallen added that the time he had just taken off was “very valuable.”
“But I feel like I need a little more of it,” he wrote, “and therefore will not be performing tour dates this summer.”
2021: Wallen banned from multiple awards shows
Wallen was banned from attending the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
The show’s producers explained their decision in a statement to NBC News, and appeared to suggest that his temporary ban from the awards show was due to his earlier racial slur scandal.
"Morgan Wallen is a finalist this year based on charting. As his recent conduct does not align with ourcore values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting)," the statement read.
"It is heartening and encouraging to hear that Morgan is taking steps in his anti-racist journey and starting to do some meaningful work," the statement continued. "We plan to evaluate his progress and will consider his participation in future shows.”
Wallen was also banned from attending the American Music Awards that November.
May 2022: Wallen returns to an award show stage
In May 2022, Wallen performed at the Billboard Music Awards, marking his first awards show appearance since his racial slur scandal.
He performed two of his songs, “Don’t Think Jesus” and “Wasted on You,” and won 11 awards including top country male artist.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, who served as host and executive producer of the awards show that year, explained his decision to include Wallen.
“The mood of the show is about love and forgiveness. As a musical family, none of us are saints; none of us are without things that happen to them in life,” Combs told Billboard. “So one of the things I’m doing directly is un-canceling the canceled. That’s breaking news because people haven’t been about uncanceling. But canceling is a trend that needs to stop.”
December 2023: Wallen addresses racial slur controversy and reflects on alcohol use
Wallen opened up about what he had learned since his racial slur controversy in a December 2023 Billboard interview.
“There’s no excuse. I’ve never made an excuse. I never will make an excuse,” he said.
He said he had met with Black leaders including gospel artist BeBe Winans and several Black music executives to “to learn and try to be better.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of people, heard stories (about) things that I would have never thought about because I wasn’t the one going through it,” he said.
Wallen also told Billboard that following the racial slur incident, he went to rehab for 30 days and was working to change his relationship with alcohol while performing.
“That used to be my warmup — to get half lit: ‘I’m going out there, and we’re going to go have fun.’ Now, that is not the way I approach it,” he said.
He added that he “used to be scared to even think about what it would be like to play a show without drinking,” but said this had shifted for him.
“Now I’m almost scared to wonder what it’d be like if I was drunk,” he said.
April 2024: Wallen arrested after throwing a chair from a rooftop bar
On April 8, Wallen was arrested after throwing a chair off the rooftop of Chief’s a bar in Nashville.
He was arrested on three counts of felony reckless endangerment and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct, with a bond of $15,250, the Metro Nashville Police Department wrote on X.
The chair he threw from the six-story bar landed close to two police officers, authorities said, NBC News reported at the time. He was released from jail a few hours after his arrest.
Wallen addressed the incident on X on April 20.
“I didn’t feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.”
“I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe. Regarding my tour, there will be no change,” he added in a follow-up comment.
His next court hearing related to the case is scheduled for Dec. 12, 2024, according to court records.
