Morgan Wallen’s Ups and Downs Through the Years: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Drama, N-Word Scandal and More

Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Morgan Wallen’s Ups and Downs Through the Years: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Drama, N-Word Scandal and More

The bad boy of country music. Morgan Wallen has faced a series of controversies throughout his career. The “Whiskey Glasses” singer got his start on season 6 of The Voice in 2014, where he was a member of Adam Levine’s team but got knocked out during the playoffs. Two years after his appearance on the singing competition he signed a deal with Big Loud Records. As Wallen started to gain success and praise in the music industry, he had a run-in with the law. The Tennessee native was arrested outside Kid Rock’s Nashville bar, Big Honky Tonk, for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in May 2020. He was later cleared of the charges. Following the arrest, Wallen made headlines five months later after TikTok videos showed him partying without a face mask and kissing multiple women at college bars in Tuscaloosa, Alabama amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The “More Than My Hometown” crooner was scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live a few weeks later but the NBC comedy series announced shortly after he was no longer welcome to perform after the clips surfaced online citing that he had broken the show’s strict COVID-19 protocols. [sendtonews type="float" key="BhWnEq9ISK-2841783-14453"] "I'm in New York City, in a hotel room. I was getting ready for SNL this Saturday, and I got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play. And that's because of COVID protocols, which I understand," he said in October 2020. "I'm not positive for COVID, but my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted and that have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams. I respect the show's decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy. I take ownership for this." The following year, Wallen sparked controversy again after TMZ published a video of him saying the N-word in February 2021. Several of the biggest names in country music including Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and more slammed the CMA winner for his problematic words. While Wallen publicly apologized for his actions he faced several consequences including a brief suspension from his record label, being barred from many awards shows and getting his music taken off of various music platforms. “I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back,” he said in a statement at the time. “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.” Keep scrolling to see Wallen's ups and downs over the years:

Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Morgan Wallen’s Ups and Downs Through the Years: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Drama, N-Word Scandal and More

The bad boy of country music. Morgan Wallen has faced a series of controversies throughout his career. The “Whiskey Glasses” singer got his start on season 6 of The Voice in 2014, where he was a member of Adam Levine’s team but got knocked out during the playoffs. Two years after his appearance on the singing competition he signed a deal with Big Loud Records. As Wallen started to gain success and praise in the music industry, he had a run-in with the law. The Tennessee native was arrested outside Kid Rock’s Nashville bar, Big Honky Tonk, for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in May 2020. He was later cleared of the charges. Following the arrest, Wallen made headlines five months later after TikTok videos showed him partying without a face mask and kissing multiple women at college bars in Tuscaloosa, Alabama amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The “More Than My Hometown” crooner was scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live a few weeks later but the NBC comedy series announced shortly after he was no longer welcome to perform after the clips surfaced online citing that he had broken the show’s strict COVID-19 protocols. [sendtonews type="float" key="BhWnEq9ISK-2841783-14453"] "I'm in New York City, in a hotel room. I was getting ready for SNL this Saturday, and I got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play. And that's because of COVID protocols, which I understand," he said in October 2020. "I'm not positive for COVID, but my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted and that have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams. I respect the show's decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy. I take ownership for this." The following year, Wallen sparked controversy again after TMZ published a video of him saying the N-word in February 2021. Several of the biggest names in country music including Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and more slammed the CMA winner for his problematic words. While Wallen publicly apologized for his actions he faced several consequences including a brief suspension from his record label, being barred from many awards shows and getting his music taken off of various music platforms. “I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back,” he said in a statement at the time. “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.” Keep scrolling to see Wallen's ups and downs over the years:

Credit: Debby Wong/Shutterstock

May 2020

Wallen first made headlines after getting arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in Nashville.

"I went out downtown last night with a few old friends. After a couple bar stops, we were horse-playing with each other," the “Thought You Should Know” singer wrote via Twitter. "We didn't mean any harm, and we want to say sorry to any bar staff or anyone that was affected."

Credit: Debby Wong/Shutterstock

July 2020

Two months after his arrest, Wallen welcomed his first child, son Indigo, with ex KT Smith. "Since you came into the world Friday, I see mine differently now," he penned via Instagram at the time. "It's not just me anymore, and I'm glad it's not. This year has been the hardest of my life in so many ways, but that's not what I will remember it by. You are. You are a gift and this tough year just made sense."

He continued: "Since you were born, I know that every decision I make will be with you in mind. I promise I'll always protect you, and do my best to be an example of a good, godly man just like my daddy was for me."

Credit: Youtube

October 2020

The “Wasted on You” crooner made headlines for a second time when he was disinvited as the musical guest from SNL after he was caught breaking the show’s COVID-19 protocols while partying at a bar.  

"I'm in New York City, in a hotel room. I was getting ready for SNL this Saturday, and I got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play. And that's because of COVID protocols, which I understand," Wallen revealed at the time. "I'm not positive for COVID, but my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted and that have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams. I respect the show's decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy. I take ownership for this."

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

February 2021

The following year, Wallen gained backlash after videos of himself using the N-word surfaced. The “Chasing You” performer faced a series of consequences for the racial slur. He was “indefinitely” suspended from his record label, Big Loud Records, and various streaming services and radio stations removed Wallen’s music for the time being.

“I’m long overdue to make a statement regarding my last incident. I wanted to collect my thoughts, seek some real guidance and come to you with a complete thought before I did,” he said in his apology video at the time, noting that he received an invitation from the Nashville chapter of the NAACP to meet and discuss the gravity of the word he used. "They had every right to step on my neck while I was down, to not show me any grace. But they did the exact opposite — they offered me grace, and they also paired that with an offer to learn and to grow."

Wallen expressed his remorse as he asked his fans to not defend him and took responsibility for “any penalties” he was facing.

Credit: Youtube

July 2021

As Wallen continued to face backlash from his racial slur scandal, he appeared on Good Morning America to address his actions and how he did not mean to use the term in a “derogatory manner.”

“I was around some of my friends, and we just ... we say dumb stuff together," he recalled. "And it was— in our minds, it's playful — that sounds ignorant, but that's really where it came from ... and it's wrong."

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock

March 2022

One year after the scandal, the “Everything I Love” artist began to make his comeback in the music industry. During the 2022 ACM Awards, he won Album of the Year despite being previously banned from the ceremony.

“When I started this album I was a kid. By the time I put it out, I was a father. That’s become more important to me than anything else,” he said in his acceptance speech. “To my son, this album and this award will signify that his daddy was a fighter, that he chased his dreams and worked hard to make them a reality.”

Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

April 2023

Wallen faced backlash from his fans after he had to cancel a concert in Mississippi minutes before he was scheduled to take the stage.

"After last night's show I started losing my voice so I spent the day resting up, talking to my doctor and working through my vocal exercises trying to get better," he wrote via his Instagram Story. "I really thought I'd be able to take the stage and it kills me to deliver this so close to stage time, but my voice is shot and I'm unable to sing."

Credit: Courtesy of Morgan Wallen/Instagram

May 2023

Wallen canceled six weeks of shows amid his ongoing health issues. “I’m just gonna go ahead and get straight to it: I got some bad news from [my] doctors,” he said in an Instagram video message. “After 10 days of vocal rest, I performed three shows last weekend in Florida and by the third one I felt terrible. So I went in and got scoped yesterday, and they told me that I reinjured my vocal cords and that I have vocal fold trauma. Their advice is that I go on vocal rest for six weeks, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”

The singer continued: “I also tore my lat [muscle] while we were in Australia. I’ve been trying to work through that quietly, but this time off is gonna help me get that back right as well.”