Morgan Wallen releases apology video after racial slur and asks fans to not defend him

11 February 2021, 10:46

Morgan Wallen has issued a five-minute apology video in response to a clip of him using a racial slur outside his home.

The country singer has been suspended by his record label, and has seen his music dropped from radio and streaming playlists, after he was recorded using the N-word as he returned home from a night out with friends.

Morgan Wallen shared the video on social media titled 'update from me', and he starts by saying that he wanted to “collect [his] thoughts and seek some real guidance” before addressing the incident.

“I was made aware of the video being posted to TMZ with hardly any time to think before it was released to the public,” he said.

He explained that the video was taken during “hour 72 of 72 of a bender”.

“That’s not something I’m proud of…the natural thing to do is to just continue to apologise because you got caught, and that’s not what I wanted to do.”

Wallen spoke of the people he felt he let down by his actions, including his parents and his son.

Update from me

“I also accepted some invitations from some amazing Black organisations…to engage in some very real and honest conversations,” he explained.

“They had every right to step on my neck while I was down, to not show me any grace, but they did the exact opposite. They offered me grace and they paired that with the offer to learn and to grow.

“That kindness really inspired me to dig deeper on how to do something about this, and 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, and at my core that’s not what I’m OK with.”

Wallen added that he wants people to learn from his mistakes, and said that he’s “carefully choosing (his) next steps to repair”.

He asked people not to defend him, saying “I was wrong. It’s on me, and I fully accept any penalties I’m facing. The timing of my return is solely upon me and the work I put in.”

Despite being dropped on radio stations and playlists, his recent album, Dangerous: The Double Album, experienced a huge surge of sales following the video’s release.