Country music star Morgan Wallen says he’s “not the same person” as he was two years ago when he was caught on video using the N-word.
In a new interview with Billboard, Wallen opened up about his 2021 racism scandal, which simultaneously stained his career while galvanizing his fanbase. Despite the continued support he’s received from the country community in the aftermath, he says there’s “no excuse” for his behavior.
“I’ve never made an excuse,” Wallen, 30, said. “And I never will make an excuse.”
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The musician also talked about his frustration with being labeled as a racist following the incident.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people, heard stories [about] things that I would have never thought about because I wasn’t the one going through it,” he said. “And I think, for me, in my heart, I was never that guy that people were portraying me to be, so there was a little bit of like, ‘Damn, I’m kind of actually mad about this a little bit because I know I shouldn’t have said this, but I’m really not that guy.’”
He continued, “I put myself in just such a sh-t spot, you know? Like, ‘You really messed up here, guy.’ If I was that guy, then I wouldn’t have cared. I wouldn’t have apologized. I wouldn’t have done any of that if I really was that guy that people were saying about me.”
As mentioned in the new cover story, Wallen met with several Black leaders in the music industry in an effort to educate himself on racism. Per Billboard, he and his label Big Loud Records also donated $500,000 to The National Museum of African American Music, Rock Against Racism, and the Black Music Coalition in 2022.
Despite his recent social justice outreach, Wallen says he’s staying far away from politics. When asked if he would endorse a candidate in next year’s U.S. presidential election, he answered “no.”
“That’s not where my head’s at,” the singer elaborated. “I’m not an expert. I just don’t know enough to try to guide people. I know what I know, and that’s music.”
