Washington [US], February 7 (ANI): Days after country music star Morgan Wallen was dropped by his record label and other major organisations over a video featuring him using a racial slur, his sister broke her silence, speaking out in his defense.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Saturday, Ashlyne Wallen slammed the general concept of “cancel culture” and called for people to forgive her brother. Morgan, who has already apologised for using a racial slur, has not commented on the remarks made by his sister.
“I know my brother. He is my best friend, and although what he said was completely unacceptable, I know in my heart that it did not come from a place of hate or malicious intent,” she wrote.
“Should he have said it? No. But should he be given the opportunity to correct his mistake and learn from it? Yes. … He is not the kind of person who would ever want to hurt anyone, but contrary to popular belief, he is also human. And sometimes, humans make big mistakes,” she added.
Ashlyne noted that Morgan is now “well aware” that the term should not be in his vocabulary. She asked fans to continue sharing “positive and educational” criticism with him rather than “pure hate,” calling the moment “a low point in his personal life.”
“I have seen firsthand how the repercussions of his actions have affected him, and while it is important that he understands the gravity of what he said, the comments from the media and many people on social media are getting out of control. There are false statements, accusations, and abominable comments being made towards him,” she continued.
Ashlyne further said, “Believe me, he is well aware of his wrongdoing and will be making changes in his life to rectify his actions in any way that he can.”
She concluded that those who kick Morgan while he is “down” should not “come back when he is up again,” adding, “If you do not have anything kind to say, please say nothing at all.”
The 27-year-old musician came under fire on Tuesday after a video surfaced of him saying the N-word during a night out in Nashville. The actions against the singer have been swift, with his booking agency WME dropping him.
Apart from this, the singer’s contract with the label Big Loud has also been suspended indefinitely. Wallen, whose new track ‘Dangerous: The Double Album’ is about to have a fourth week at the top of the charts, saw his music being taken down from major radio networks and streaming service playlists within hours of the video being published on TMZ on Tuesday night.
Cumulus, which is powerful in the country radio sphere, sent out a directive to the program directors of all of its 400-plus stations with the header “MORGAN WALLEN — EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.”
The message read, “Team, unfortunately, country music star Morgan Wallen was captured on video Sunday evening using a racial slur. Effective immediately we request that all of Morgan Wallen’s music be removed from our playlists without exception. More to follow.”
Apart from these, radio giants like iHeartMedia and Entercom soon followed suit, as did the country music television network CMT. His music has also been pulled from the satellite service SiriusXM and the streaming service Pandora, as well as being removed from any visible spots on Spotify and Apple Music.
Wallen issued a statement on Tuesday night after TMZ first reported the incident, saying, “I am embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. 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.”
Wallen has a history of having used the N-word on social media, quoting rap lyrics. In 2012, he tweeted a lyric by rapper Meek Mill, “I burn bread I ain’t talkin toast n—.” (That tweet was deleted from Wallen’s account on Wednesday morning.) (ANI)