Maren Morris Is Fired up Over Morgan Wallen Using the N-Word

Maren Morris is joining the growing number of country superstars speaking out against Morgan Wallen. The “Still Goin Down” singer found himself wading controversy after a video surfaced this week of him using a racial slur, with Morris, as well as other big names in the industry, claiming that this is not his first time using the slur.

In a tweet posted just hours after TMZ published the controversial video, which was reportedly filmed Sunday night outside his Nashville home, Morris shut down rebukes that Wallen’s use of the N-word is not an accurate representation of culture. Morris instead countered those claims, writing, “it actually IS representative of our town” and said “this isn’t his first ‘scuffle,’” later suggesting that “we all know it wasn’t his first time using that word.” Morris, who acknowledged Wallen’s recent career successes, said “we keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse.”

The video, posted on TMZ Tuesday night and reportedly recorded by Wallen’s neighbors, shows the country singer and a group of friends returning home from a night out in Nashville. The group, according to the report, was loud and honking horns. Wallen used the racial epithet as he began to stumble towards his home, telling one of his friends to “take care of” this “p— ass mother—” before adding, “take care of this p— ass n—.”

As Morris pointed out, this was not Wallen’s first time using the racial slur. Variety reports that in 2012, a then 18-year-old Wallen, who had yet to make a name for himself in the world of country music, tweeted lyrics to a Meek Mill song reading, “I burn bread i aint talkin toast n—.” Over the years, Wallen has become embroiled in other scandals as well. In May 2020, he was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct after getting kicked out of a downtown Nashville bar. In October 2020, he faced backlash after he was seen making out with fans while partying maskless in Alabama. The controversy cost him a Saturday Night Live performance, though SNL later rebooked him for December after he made an apology. The repercussions to his latest scandal seem to be going a step forward.

Tuesday night, Cumulus Media, the second-biggest radio chain in the nation, sent out a directive to the program directors of all of its 400-plus stations with the header “MORGAN WALLEN — EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.” Noting that Wallen “was captured on video Sunday evening using a racial slur,” the message announced, “effective immediately we request that all of Morgan Wallen’s music be removed from our playlists without exception.” It is expected that other radio stations will make similar moves, delivering a major blow for Wallen, whose new record, Dangerous: The Double Album, has hit three weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. He has since issued an apology vowing to “do better.”