Years after allegedly being canceled by many, country star Morgan Wallen released a music video that suggests his fans remain in droves.
Having been caught on tape drunkenly shouting a racial slur, he earned public outrage and some immediate industry repercussions. But interest in Wallen and his music soared, bringing up questions about how canceled he ever was.
Morgan Wallen was ‘canceled’ after a neighbor caught him using a racial slur on tape in 2021
Wallen became a target of widespread outrage when one of his neighbors caught him on tape using a racial slur in 2021. The story and its footage made it out and about in no time. Initially, the reaction was strong, with many people calling for an effective end to his career.
But according to Google Trends, Wallen’s name was at peak search popularity around the time he was allegedly canceled. Although he faced repercussions in the music industry, fans rallied around him. While some country radio stations wouldn’t play his music, his album sales soared.
Ultimately, the event helped increase his visibility and firmly solidified his following’s loyalty.
Response to Morgan Wallen’s new music video suggests fans didn’t cancel him
Whether a career cancelation will hold is usually up to someone’s fans. It’s also sometimes up to the legal system, depending on whether their bad behavior becomes criminal. So, we’re inclined to say he was never effectively canceled.
Even though some of the headlines in the wake of Wallen’s outburst caught on tape made things seem dire for his career, he recovered because his supporters rallied.
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With more than four million followers on Instagram and a multi-million dollar net worth, Wallen seems to be on the other side of the cancelation controversy. In retrospect, his career was paused in some ways but flourished anyway.
In a caption for a clip from his “Thought You Should Know” music video, which has currently earned over 9.5 million views on YouTube, he shared a message of gratitude for his fans (via Instagram). He wrote, “Wanted to remind y’all how grateful I am for you, for my family, my mama, and our good Lord,” adding his supporters made 2022 a “special” year for him.
Morgan Wallen noticed a spike in his albums sales after the racial slur controversy
The incident sparked a more extensive conversation about race in country music and the reality of cancel culture — which has been blasted by stars from Taylor Swift to Whoopi Goldberg.
In an apology video released shortly after the tape’s release, Wallen said he didn’t want to “add to any division.”
He added that he learned a “big lesson” about the weight of his words. “This week, I heard firsthand some personal stories from Black people that honestly shook me,” he shared (YouTube). “And I know what I’m going through this week doesn’t even compare to some of the trials I heard about from them.”
Wallen later acknowledged that the controversy had a positive impact on his album sales. “Before this incident, my album was already doing well,” he said on ABC’s Good Morning America. “It was already being well received by critics and by fans. Me and my team noticed that whenever this whole incident happened that there was a spike in my sales.”
When asked if he thought that said something about race in country music, he answered, “I mean, it would seem that way.”
“Yeah,” he added. But he also noted, “I haven’t really sat and thought about that.”
