Country music phenom Morgan Wallen has dropped from the airwaves and had his contract with his label suspended after he was caught on video shouting a racial slur.
In video obtained by TMZ and published Tuesday, a rowdy Wallen and his friends pull up in cars to his Tennessee home. As Wallen heads inside, he shouts to a friend, "Hey, take care of this "p---- ass motherf-----. ... Take care of this p---- ass n-----."
TMZ reported that Wallen, 27, and a group of friends were seen Sunday night partying in Nashville. When they returned home late, a doorbell camera captured them honking their horns and causing a scene. A neighbor then pulled out a cellphone to record a video in which Wallen can be heard yelling the slur, according to the website.
Big Loud Label, which releases Wallen's music with Republic Records, suspended Wallen's contract indefinitely.
"Republic Records fully supports Big Loud's decision and agrees such behavior will not be tolerated," the company said in a statement Wednesday.
Wallen's "Dangerous: The Double Album," released last month, has stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for three weeks, the first country album to top the list for that long in eight years.
Still, Country Music Television and iHeartRadio announced Wednesday they were dropping his music from their airwaves.
"After learning of Morgan Wallen’s racial slur late last night, we are in the process of removing his appearances from all our platforms," a CMT spokesperson said in a statement. "We do not tolerate or condone words and actions that are in direct opposition to our core values that celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Wendy Goldberg, an iHeart Media representative, said in statement, "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."
Wallen did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News, but said in a statement to TMZ: "I'm 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."
Country music stars were quick to condemn Wallen's language.
"If you condone or try to justify @MorganWallen’s latest behavior, there is NO place for you in the Country Music community or ANY community," Justin Fabus wrote on Twitter.
"The news out of Nashville tonight does not represent country music," shared Kelsea Ballerini.
Mickey Guyton, the first black female solo artist to receive a Grammy nomination in a country category, simply wrote: "The hate runs deep. Smfh."
This is not the first time Wallen's behavior on video has gotten him into trouble. In October, he was pulled as the “Saturday Night Live” musical performer after he was seen in TikTok videos partying without a mask and kissing random women, putting him at risk for the coronavirus.
