Morgan speaks.
It’s been roughly a week since video surfaced of Morgan Wallen dropping the n-word outside of his house in the middle of the night. TMZ broke the story, Morgan issued a quick apology, and in a matter of 48 hours Morgan was virtually removed from the country music world.
Radio dropped him, his label suspended him, he was removed from CMT, the ACMs and various playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.
Some have come to his defense and some have called for even harsher punishments. Plenty of other artists have weighed in, but over the past week, we’ve been waiting to hear from one person… Morgan himself.
And that time his come.
Here’s what he had to say:
Here’s the SparkNotes version:
“I wrote many detailed thoughts and only a portion of those got used which painted me in even a more careless light… the video you saw was me on hour 72 of 72, of a bender… and that’s not something I’m proud of either.”
“I’ve accepted some invitations from some amazing black organizations, executives and leaders to engage in some real and honest conversations.”
“Since that video was taken I’ve been sober for 9 days. It’s not all that long of a time, but it’s enough to know that the man in that video is not who I want to be… so I decided to go off the grid for a while.”
“I have one favor to ask, I appreciate those who still see something in me and have defended me, but for today please don’t. I was wrong. It’s on me to take ownership for this and I fully accept any penalties I’m facing.”
After the news broke, Morgan was immediately dropped by 400+ radio stations, with a grand total eventually hitting over 1,000.
“Effective immediately we request that all of Morgan Wallen’s music be removed from our playlists without exception.”https://t.co/J0gjTLJkG1
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) February 3, 2021
Fellow country artists Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini also shared some thoughts on Twitter, calling out the double standard saying they’d be “dropped” under similar circumstances.
“We’d be dropped, endorsements lost, social pariahs to Music Row…”https://t.co/wXVodEsaI3
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) February 3, 2021
Artists including Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson and plenty of others spoke out as well, however when the news broke, his fellow CMA New Artist of the Year nominee, Jimmie Allen, took some time to process before he weighed in.
I take a few days to process before I reply or speak on anything. Logical thoughts for me takes time.
— Jimmie Allen (@JimmieAllen) February 5, 2021
And after taking the time to gather his thoughts, his message was one of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is more powerful than abandonment. Our job as humans is to help each other be the best version of themselves. ✊🏽🙏🏽🤙🏽
— Jimmie Allen (@JimmieAllen) February 6, 2021
It’s not about what is easiest….it’s about what is right. In order to receive forgiveness, we must give forgiveness. ✊🏽
— Jimmie Allen (@JimmieAllen) February 6, 2021
Accountability is very important..we all must be held accountable for our actions. Looking over my life and my mistakes I remember the consequences I had to face, but I also remember the people that didnt give up me and were willing to help me DO better. Thankful for those people
— Jimmie Allen (@JimmieAllen) February 6, 2021
Country Music executive, Rakiyah Marshall, who is the owner of publishing and artist development company Back Blocks Music, has also spoke out with her take on the situation.
Her approach, much like Jimmie’s, was also a call not to abandon him all together:
“This guy has a heart. Maybe a little ignorant, for sure makes a lot of mistakes, may need a little extra love & care, has lost his fight with alcohol, but by no means is a racist.
Has a lot to learn about his missteps and it’s going to take a while. He is not perfect nor does he get a pass for his reckless behavior. But he does not deserve this and I’ll stand by that. I’m not giving up on him. Hope the world gets to see the person I know in that picture.”
Her post received positive comments from fellow artists, songwriters and other country music industry folks.
And then today, Jason Isbell announced that he was opting to donate all of his royalties from Morgan’s version of “Cover Me Up” to the Nashville chapter of the NAACP.
“So… A portion of this money goes to me, since I wrote ‘Cover Me Up.’ I’ve decided to donate everything I’ve made so far from this album to the Nashville chapter of the NAACP. Thanks for helping out a good cause, folks.”
So… A portion of this money goes to me, since I wrote ‘Cover Me Up.’ I’ve decided to donate everything I’ve made so far from this album to the Nashville chapter of the @NAACP. Thanks for helping out a good cause, folks. https://t.co/Ch3FlDBmJf
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) February 10, 2021