In the latest episode of things that make absolutely no sense…
Morgan Wallen, who was banned from the ceremony after dropping the N-word, has won the top country awards at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. Yeah, you read that right. On Sunday, the axed country singer took home three prizes several hours before the official show — Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist, and Top Country Album for Dangerous: The Double Album.
Related: Ozzy Osbourne Gives An Update On Sharon Following Racism Scandal & The Talk Exit!
As you may recall, the Tennessee native came under fire in February after TMZ posted a leaked video showing him saying the racial slur and other expletives as he returned from a night out with friends. The footage quickly sparked an online backlash, forcing the disgraced artist to apologize for the blatant racism. He said at the time:
“Obviously the natural thing to do is to apologize further, and continue to apologize, but because you got caught, and that’s not what I wanted to do. I let so many people down who mean a lot to me and have given so much to me, and it’s just not fair. I let my parents down, and they’re the furthest thing from the person in that video. I let my son down, and I’m not OK with that.”
You know, the typical contrived Hollywood statement. As we said before, while we commend someone for owning up to f**king up, it still doesn’t make it okay at all.
Following the controversy, Morgan had been banned from appearing at the BBMAs but was not barred from being nominated. In case you aren’t familiar, the finalists are picked based on their performance on the charts, music sales, streaming services, radio stations, and social engagement. And it turns out that The Voice alum’s fans continued to support him despite saying the offensive word and remained a top fixture on the country music charts.
When nominations came out, Dick Clark Productions issued a statement regarding the musician’s minimal involvement with the show, saying:
“Morgan Wallen is a finalist this year based on charting. As his recent conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting). It is heartening and encouraging to hear that Morgan is taking steps in his anti-racist journey and starting to do some meaningful work. We plan to evaluate his progress and will consider his participation in future shows.”
While on the subject of anti-racism education…
Shortly after the video surfaced, the NAACP Nashville reportedly reached out to Wallen to meet and teach him the history of the racial slur. He reportedly agreed to the sit-down at the time, but it turns out the celeb may have ghosted the organization, according to TMZ. So, it is hard to imagine that any form of learning and growing has taken place.
What are your thoughts on Morgan’s controversial win? Let us know in the comments (below).
[Image via Judy Eddy/WENN]
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