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Morgan Wallen is no stranger to controversy, and now he's trying to weather yet another storm stemming from his arrest in Nashville on April 8th. Wallen has already been given a few second chances after past mea culpas, so the question is now becoming how forgiving is his fanbase? How many more second chances is he going to get?
Wallen took to social media on Friday, doing his best to sound contrite, after his arrest for hurling a chair off the sixth floor rooftop bar of Eric Church's Chief's honky-tonk in downtown Nashville. “I didn't feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks,” Wallen's post began.
“I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I'm not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility,” stated Wallen.
I didn't feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I'm not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.
— morgan wallen (@MorganWallen) April 20, 2024
The chair Wallen threw landed just steps away from Nashville police officers, landing him reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct charges.
Wallen followed up his first post on the arrest with another, declaring, “I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe.”
Then, on a more self-interested note, he added, “Regarding my tour, there will be no change.”
I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe. Regarding my tour, there will be no change. -MW
— morgan wallen (@MorganWallen) April 20, 2024
Maybe there won't be a change for Wallen's tour, but will his fans' attitudes toward the country music superstar change at all after yet another scandal?
Wallen's most notorious transgression occurred in early 2021 when he was caught on video casually using the N-word with friends. His record label promptly suspended Wallen's contract and he spent the next two years on an apology tour, meeting with several Black leaders and trying to educate himself regarding racism.
Wallen also came under fire during the height of Covid when he blatantly disregarded social distancing measures, also caught on video, which led to his appearance on Saturday Night Live being postponed.
Through it all, Wallen's country music fanbase has stuck with him, but it remains to be seen how many more do-overs he's going to be granted.
The social media response to Wallen's “make amends” post varies. Some fans are whole-heartedly forgiving him, regurgitating old axioms like ‘no one is perfect' and ‘we all make mistakes'.
Others are rather defiantly acting like what Wallen did is no big deal, even though he could have inflicted serious bodily harm or death had that chair landed on someone. “It’s not a big deal bubba. They’re overreacting bc of who you are,” read one heavily-viewed response.
Still others are encouraging Wallen to seek help and stop drinking. One fan wrote, “Will be at concert, but consider sobriety and building a stable family legacy. Degenerate drinking late into life is a dark path.”
If there's one word to describe Wallen's fortunes of the last few years, it would have to be lucky. Lucky that he was forgiven enough to be granted a second chance with his recording label after the N-word scandal. Lucky that his fanbase has stuck by him and even grown these past few years. And incredibly lucky that throwing a chair off a sixth floor roof in a busy area of downtown Nashville didn't physically harm anyone. The question now is, when will Morgan Wallen‘s luck run out?
