Morgan Wallen has been barred from the Country music Awards despite being up for an album of the year nomination.
The country music star fell from grace in February following the emergence of a video showing him using a racial slur. He was pulled from most radio stations, dropped from his label, and banned from awards shows. Then in May, the CMAs announced that Wallen would be eligible for awards in categories that honor artistic works, according to Billboard. This includes categories for singles, songs, albums, musical events, and music videos of the year. He would just not be eligible for individual artistic categories such as entertainer and male vocalist of the year.
Earlier this year, Wallen and his collaborators received an album of the year nod but a new report by the Los Angeles Times revealed that the musician is not permitted to attend, perform, or accept an award at the show. He will also not be allowed to walk the red carpet.
"This is the first time in the history of the CMA, to my knowledge, anyone has ever been disqualified for conduct," CMA CEO Sarah Trahern told the LA Times. "Honoring him as an individual this year is not right, and he will not be allowed on the red carpet, on our stage, or be celebrated in any way."
Sales for Wallen's album that is up for nomination, "Dangerous: The Double Album," have been soaring despite the racial slur incident. Calculations showed an estimated $500,000 spike — money which Wallen said he would be giving to various Black-led organizations. However, last month Rolling Stone reported that only one group has confirmed receiving money from the country singer. The outlet contacted 57 state, regional, and national Black-led or Black-founded charities and only the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) said it had received any money— $165,000.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Seth England, who is the CEO of Wallen’s label Big Loud, said that the $500,000 included "$100,000 earmarked and promised for further donations by year end locally." He further claimed that an outfit called "Rock Against Racism" had received $100,000 from Big Loud and BMAC had received "$300,000— a figure that the organization denies receiving.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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