Country singer Morgan Wallen has asked his fans not to defend him because he “was wrong” and now takes “ownership” of problems caused by a racial slur recorded by a neighbor.
Wallen took to Instagram and delivered a five-minute video on what happened on the night he was recorded saying farewell to friends and using the N-word. The fallout from that incident has seen him suspended by his record label, pulled from radio, and dropped by many representatives and institutions in the country music genre.
The 27-year-old Wallen has since remained silent, but emerged today to give his side of the story.
“The video you saw was me on hour 72 of a bender, and that’s not something I’m proud of either,” he said. “Obviously, the natural thing to do is to apologize further and continue to apologize because you got caught, and that’s not what I wanted to do.”
Wallen lamented the people he let down by his conduct, and said he has apologized to them. He has also reached out and engaged in “some very real and honest conversations” with leaders of various Black organizations. Though not specified, Wallen said they offered him a chance “to learn and to grow.”
Wallen said he has learned that “a word can truly hurt a person.”
“This week I heard firsthand some personal stories from Black people that honestly shook me,” he added. “And I know what I’m going through this week doesn’t even compare to some of the trials I about from them. I came away from those discussions with a deep appreciation for them and a clearer understanding of the weight of my words.
“Our actions matter. Our words matter and I just want to encourage anyone watching to please learn from my mistake,” he said. “There’s no reason to downplay what I did. It matters and please know I’m carefully choosing my next steps in repair.”
Wallen said he will go off the grid for a while, and revealed he has been sober for nine days.
“I want my team, my family, my friends and even strangers to trust me. Hell, I wanna trust me. Who knows if I’ll be able to live down all the mistakes I’ve made, but I’m certainly going to try.”
This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: deadline.com
