The '7 Summers' hitmaker has been dealing with the fallout of his N-word use since a video of him hurling profanities following a rowdy night out was brought out to light.
- Feb 5, 2021
AceShowbiz - More bad news have hit Morgan Wallen in the fallout of his racial slur controversy. Shortly after the Academy of Country Music declared his ineligibility in the upcoming 56th annual ACM Awards, the "7 Summers" hitmaker is reported to have been dropped by talent-booking agency William Morris Endeavor (WME).
A so-called representative for WME confirmed the removal of Wallen as its client to several publications, including The Hollywood Reporter. The booking agency itself has yet to release its official statement about its move in dropping the rising country music star from its rooster.
Wallen has been facing repercussions for his use of the N-word after a video of him hurling profanities following a rowdy night out surfaced. He was quick to express remorse, telling TMZ, "I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better."
Despite Wallen's swift apology, Cumulus Media issued an order to its 400-plus stations to remove his music. iHeartRadio and CMA has since followed suit. The controversy also led to removal of his music from Spotify's Hot Country Songs and Apple Music's Today's Country playlists, and cost him airplay on the Viacom-owned channel Country Music Television.
Before the racial slur, Wallen was well on his way to have his album "Dangerous: The Double Album" topping the Billboard Hot 200 chart for four week in a row, which will set a record for consecutive weeks at No. 1 for a country artist since Garth Brooks in the late '90s. Unfortunately, the incident prompted his label Big Loud Records to suspend his contract indefinitely.
On Wednesday night, February 3, the ACM announced its move to ban Wallen from this year's awards show. "The Academy of Country Music will halt Morgan Wallen's potential involvement and eligibility for this year's 56th Academy of Country Music Awards cycle. We have made his management team aware of this decision," its statement read.
"The Academy does not condone or support intolerance or behavior that doesn't align with our commitment and dedication to diversity and inclusion," the organization continued. "As a result of this unprecedented situation, the Academy will be reviewing our awards eligibility and submission process, ensuring our nominees consistently reflect the Academy's integrity."
