Last week, Morgan Wallen was caught on camera casually yelling a racial slur during what he's calling "hour 72 of 72 on a bender." As a result of the incident, he was suspended from his label, while his fans tripled down on buying up his records, launching his record Dangerous: The Double Album to the No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. He issued an initial apology for his actions pretty swiftly, but now the country singer has returned with another message, pleading with fans not to defend him.
Despite ongoing support from Wallen's fanbase — who seemingly couldn't care less about his indefensible use of the n-word — the controversial artist has now taken an intentional step back from the public eye, explaining that he's been sober since the incident is "carefully choosing his next steps."
"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 am facing," he said.
"Since that video was taken, I've been sober for nine days. It's not all that long of a time, but it's enough to know that the man in that video is not the man that I'm trying to be," Wallen added.
He continued: "Who knows if I'll be able to live down all the mistakes I've made, but I'm certainly going to try. I'm going to spend some time taking back control of my habit, living healthy, and being proud of my actions."
Wallen also explained that he had been approached by "some amazing Black organizations, executives, and leaders to engage in some very real and honest conversations," and heard stories from Black people whose first-hand accounts of racism "honestly shook" him.
It's early to tell if Wallen's latest statement will do anything to deter the army of fans out there who clearly weren't unsettled by his racist actions. Hopefully some time out of the spotlight will help the artist understand the weight of his words — and give him some time to think about ways to properly address the ways he can undo the harm already done.
Watch his video below.
Despite ongoing support from Wallen's fanbase — who seemingly couldn't care less about his indefensible use of the n-word — the controversial artist has now taken an intentional step back from the public eye, explaining that he's been sober since the incident is "carefully choosing his next steps."
"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 am facing," he said.
"Since that video was taken, I've been sober for nine days. It's not all that long of a time, but it's enough to know that the man in that video is not the man that I'm trying to be," Wallen added.
He continued: "Who knows if I'll be able to live down all the mistakes I've made, but I'm certainly going to try. I'm going to spend some time taking back control of my habit, living healthy, and being proud of my actions."
Wallen also explained that he had been approached by "some amazing Black organizations, executives, and leaders to engage in some very real and honest conversations," and heard stories from Black people whose first-hand accounts of racism "honestly shook" him.
It's early to tell if Wallen's latest statement will do anything to deter the army of fans out there who clearly weren't unsettled by his racist actions. Hopefully some time out of the spotlight will help the artist understand the weight of his words — and give him some time to think about ways to properly address the ways he can undo the harm already done.
Watch his video below.
