Darius Rucker thinks it’s time for people to forgive Morgan Wallen after he was caught on video using racial slurs in 2021.
During the performance at Rolling Stone Music Now podcast on July 2, the Hootie and the Blowfish singer spoke about the incident and said the “Whiskey Glasses” singer has changed since then.
“I think Morgan has become a better person since then,” Rucker, 58, told the newspaper. “I have known Morgan for a long time. Since all of this happened, Morgan has tried to really improve himself and become a better person and see the world in a much better, better way.”
Rucker also claimed that while Wallen, 31, has seen great success with streaming numbers and ticket sales since the incident, he still hasn’t fully forgiven him.
The Ups and Downs of Morgan Wallen: From ‘The Voice’ and Losing Records to Racial Controversy and Criminal Charges
“You know, he is not forgiven. It’s still not for the CMAs and ACMs,” Rucker said. “They can say what they want, but the fact that Morgan Wallen is not up for entertainer of the year and that stuff is crazy. Nobody sells more tickets than Morgan.”
In February 2021, a video obtained by TMZ showed the “Last Night” singer using the N-word while talking to one of his friends. At the time, he said in a statement to PEOPLE that he was “embarrassed and sorry.”
The next morning, however, his music was pulled from two major radio networks, his record company suspended him “indefinitely” and he became ineligible for that spring’s ACM Awards.
A week after the video surfaced, Wallen released a 5-minute video in which he apologized for using a racial slur and said he had been sober for nine days.
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Morgan Wallen.
Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty
“I let so many people down,” he said. “I failed my parents and they are the furthest thing from the … person in that video. I failed my son and I’m not okay with that.”
“And I’ve already learned one thing [and] I’m especially sorry that it matters – my words matter,” he added. “A word can really hurt a person and at my core, that’s not what I’m OK with.”
Since then, Wallen revealed that he went to rehab Good morning Americareturned for the awards and his 2023 studio album One thing at a time broken records. He also embarked on a tour in support of the album.
Then, in an interview for the cover story with Boardsinger “Keith Whitley” addressed his use of racial slurs and said he realized “how many people listen to me.”
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“There is no excuse. I never made excuses. I will never make excuses,” Wallen told the publication. “I’ve talked to a lot of people, heard stories [about] things I would never have thought about because I wasn’t the one going through it.”
Most recently, Wallen was arrested on felony charges on April 7 after he allegedly threw a chair off the roof of a local bar.
A few days after his arrest, Wallen took “responsibility” for his actions in a statement released by X. The next trial in the case is scheduled for August 15.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education