Is It Time to Forgive Morgan Wallen for Using a Racist Slur?

Darius Rucker believes it’s time to forgive Morgan Wallen for using a racist slur back in 2021.

“I think Morgan’s become a better person since that. I’ve known Morgan a long time. Since all that happened, Morgan’s tried to really better himself and become a better person,” Rucker said on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast.

Although the “Wagon Wheel” singer is ready to personally forgive Wallen’s transgression, he knows the music industry at large has “not forgiven.”

“He’s still not out for CMAs and ACMs. They can say what they want, but the fact that Morgan Wallen is not up for Entertainer of the Year and those things is crazy. No one’s selling more tickets than Morgan,” Rucker explained.

In 2021, Wallen was caught on camera unleashing a loud string of profanities, including the N-word.

Immediately following the release of the footage, Wallen issued an apology saying he was “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,” the country superstar said at the time.

Following the incident, Rucker initially said he was “shocked” to hear Wallen use the N-word.

“I know Morgan and I like Morgan. It’s one of those things where you know that all over the country, there’s a lot of people who use that word just flippantly,” the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman said on the People in the ’90s podcast.

“And even if they say they don’t mean it in a derogatory way, you just don’t use it. You don’t say it. It’s shocking how prevalent it is. Racism still lives. It lives strong in some people and it’s sad. It should be getting better and it’s getting worse,” Rucker added.