Why Morgan Wallen Fans Aren't Happy With The ACM Awards
While the Academy of Country Music Awards is one of the biggest nights in country music, there is one notable artist who won't be making an appearance this year. That's singer and former The Voice contestant Morgan Wallen. Wallen has been taking some "time away" after a video of the "More Than My Hometown" singer was released of him saying a racial slur after being kicked out of a steakhouse for disorderly conduct (via Esquire).
It was after the video made headlines that the Academy of Country Music decided that they would "halt Morgan Wallen's potential involvement and eligibility for this year's 56th Academy of Country Music Awards cycle" (via E!). This was the second time Wallen did something to halt his involvement in a show this past year. Back in October, Wallen's invitation to appear on Saturday Night Live as the show's musical guest was revoked after the singer was spotted partying at a bar and not following proper COVID-19 safety protocols (via NPR).
Some people saw the ACM call as a necessary step to promote diversity and inclusion, but of course, Wallen's biggest fans were not happy about this decision.
Wallen's fans on Twitter thought the award show was being too harsh
Many fans of Morgan Wallen have opted not to watch the ACM Awards in 2021, because their favorite artist won't be making an appearance. One Twitter user even said, "Missing @MorganWallen On the awards show but guess who is listening to him on the record player , me and the hubby." Some are even upset because they believe the singer should be winning so many awards this year. One user tweeted that Wallen "should of been able to and should be winning the album of the year awards."
Many fans blamed things like "cancel culture" and the awards show for being too "woke." However, just a few days before the ceremony, Wallen tweeted out an apology letter where he said that he was "thankful" to have been given this time to work on himself (via Alabama Local News). Even Wallen said that he's "proud of the work [he's] put in" and that he "needed this time off."