Sam Hunt Opens Up About DUI Arrest: ‘I Take Responsibility’

Sam Hunt was arrested in Nashville in November and was charged with driving under the influence and having an open container, and the singer is currently awaiting his court date in September. In a new interview with HITS Daily Double, Hunt opened up about the incident, explaining that he knew he wanted to take responsibility for his actions instead of trying to sweep them under the rug.

“It happened,” he said. “People in my camp were talking about suppressing it, but why would I be afraid to talk about it? If it happens, it’s true.” On the morning of Nov. 21, police were notified that a driver was traveling the wrong way in East Nashville and found the vehicle, driven by Hunt, swerving in and out of its lane. The warrant states that Hunt had a blood alcohol content of .173, more than twice the legal limit. The singer was described as smelling of alcohol and having bloodshot eyes and investigators said that there were two empty beers next to him. Hunt admitted to drinking alcohol “recently” and was the only person in the car.

“I was raised and taught to respect [alcohol],” he told HITS Daily Double. “Moderation is important. I’ve never wanted to glorify it. It’s a cheap trick in country music, and I’ve always wanted to avoid that. I don’t like using [drinking] as a party song; for me, that wouldn’t be honest. I’ve never been the guy who shotguns a beer. I know people who partake that way, and I wouldn’t want to shake my finger or look down on them.”

“It’s not that I don’t drink at all, but I put myself in a position by being out, seeing friends at a show, leaving my phone in an Uber,” the 35-year-old continued. “We’d Uber’d all night, then went back to a friend’s house, had some pizza. I fell asleep on the couch, woke up groggy. I should’ve been more conscious, but I wasn’t. So I take responsibility.”

After his arrest, the Georgia native issued an apology to fans on Twitter. “Wednesday night I decided to drive myself home after drinking at a friend’s show in downtown Nashville,” he wrote on Nov. 22. “It was a poor and selfish decision and I apologize to everyone who was unknowingly put at risk and let down by it. It won’t happen again.” In April, Hunt released his second studio album, Southside, and recently earned his latest No. 1 with his current single, “Hard to Forget.”