Maren Morris says female artists would be ‘social pariahs’ if they behaved like Morgan Wallen

Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini called out Morgan Wallen after he was suspended from his record label for saying the N-word in a leaked video. 

Less than 24 hours after footage of the 27-year singer showed him shouting the racial slur was published on TMZ, the female country stars condemned his actions.  

After a fan tweeted that ‘if a female artist did 5% of the sh*t [Wallen] has pulled she would be dropped immediately by everyone,’ both Morris and Ballerini agreed that women are held to a higher standard than men in the music industry. 

While Ballerini, 27, wrote that ‘the truth is the truth,’ Morris went on to say female artists would ‘be dropped, endorsements lost,’ and they would be seen as ‘social pariahs to music row.’ 

Mickey Guyton, who became the first Black female solo artist to receive a Grammy nomination in a country category just last year, also reacted to Wallen’s apology on Twitter. 

‘The hate runs deep. Smfh,’ Guyton tweeted. ‘This is not his first time using that ‘unacceptable’ racial slur and we all known that. So what exactly are y’all going to do about it? Crickets won’t work this time.’ 

The 37-year-old crooner continued: ‘How many passes will you continue to give? Asking for a friend. No one deserves to be canceled [but] this is unacceptable.’ 

Ballerini also tweeted that ‘the news out of Nashville tonight does not represent country music,’ but Morris, 30, vehemently disagreed. 

‘It actually IS representative of our town because this isn’t his first ‘scuffle’ and he just demolished a huge streaming record last month regardless,’ Morris gently corrected. ‘We all know it wasn’t his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse.’ 

In a similar sentiment, Guyton tweeted that ‘comments saying ‘this is not who we are’ make her laugh because ‘this is exactly who country music is.’ 

‘I’ve witnessed it for 10 gd years. You guys should just read some of the vile comments hurled at me on a daily basis. It’s a cold hard truth to face but it is the truth,’ the Black Like Me hitmaker explained. 

She continued, ‘I love country music so much. There are amazing people in this genre behind the scenes and in front of the cameras that have kept me sane all these years. Those are the people we must keep reminding ourselves are out there and worth supporting and listening to. And lastly, I do not believe in cancel culture. Watching anyone fall from grace is a terrible thing to see.’

‘People must all be given a chance to change. Morgan must feel the weight of his words but completely throwing someone away is detrimental to anyone’s mental health,’ she noted.  

Wallen is facing fierce backlash after he was heard on tape using the N-word on Sunday, with his label suspending him and radio stations banning his music even after his apology.  

His label, Big Loud Records, said in a statement on Wednesday that it ‘has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely’ after the shocking recording surfaced.

Republic Records, which he is co-signed to, said it agreed with Big Loud’s decision and said ‘such behavior will not be tolerated.’

Meanwhile, iHeartMedia, the largest radio station group owner in the U.S. with more than 855 stations, has banned Wallen’s music from the airwaves, as have other large radio station owners Cumulus Media and Entercom.

‘In light of Morgan Wallen’s recent actions involving the use of a racial slur, we have made the decision to remove his music and content from our stations effective immediately,’ an iHeart spokesperson told Billboard.

Similarly, an Entercom representative told the magazine: ‘In light of Morgan Wallen’s recent use of a racial slur, we’ve discussed the incident with our country brand leadership team and together have made the decision to remove Morgan’s music from Entercom’s playlists.’  

Cumulus Media, the nation’s second largest chain of stations, was the first to ban Wallen’s music. Together the companies run more than 1,500 radio stations. 

A memo sent to Cumulus Media program directors 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.’  

Wallen is one of the country genre’s biggest young stars, with his new record, ‘Dangerous: The Double Album,’ spending three weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart, but the reaction from the music industry has been swift. 

The backlash came after Wallen was heard on a recording made by a neighbor and made public Tuesday, using the slur as he chatted with friends while returning to his Music City home. 

The Sneedville, Tennessee native’s neighbor recorded the country artist as he came back to his house Sunday with friends, disturbing neighbors with loud noise and car horns. 

He was heard saying of an acquaintance, ‘Take care of this p**** ass n*****’ and ‘take care of this p**** ass mother******’ as he entered his abode. 

‘I’m embarrassed and sorry,’  he told TMZ Tuesday. ‘I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back.’

He continued, ‘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.’

As of Wednesday morning, streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music also don’t have his songs in their most popular country music playlists, where normally Wallen had multiple songs from his new album.  

The Tennessee-born singer has done a lot of public apologizing lately.

Wallen was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in May 2020 after getting kicked out of a downtown Nashville bar.

Wallen also made headlines last fall after his Saturday Night Live appearance was canceled after he broke protocols the show had in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wallen was also recently seen in a TikTok clip not wearing a mask on two separate instances in Alabama, at a bar and party.

The Way I Talk singer issued an apology after he was scratched from performing on the NBC juggernaut, saying his actions were ‘pretty short-sighted’ and that he understood the reason why he was cut.

‘I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy and I take ownership for this,’ said the 7 Summers performer, who was replaced by Jack White on the October broadcast.

Wallen told Entertainment Tonight after the incident said he has a better understanding of how to navigate life in the limelight.

‘I think I just gotta be aware that most of my actions… will be brought to light,’ Wallen said. ‘I don’t think I really truly understood the reach that I have.’

He subsequently appeared on the show later last year and appeared in a skit making fun of himself.