It’s been a little over two months since Morgan Wallen apologized after he was caught on video saying the N-word, leading him to be “suspended†by his label and his music to be taken out of rotation at most major radio stations. “The timing of my return is solely upon me and the work I put in,†he told fans in a subsequent apology video. Now, that return appears to be imminent. Wallen posted a four-page, handwritten note to social media addressing several topics, after essentially leaving the public eye for the past two months. In the note, Wallen doesn’t name the behavior that led to his escape from public life or give an update on the specific work he committed to do after the N-word video, including meeting with Black leaders and addressing his alcohol use. “I’ve made some mistakes, I’m figuring those out + I apologized because I was truly sorry + have been making my amends,†Wallen wrote. He later added that he “really worked on myself†over the past weeks. “I’ve needed this time off,†he wrote.
Wallen opened the note thanking his fans after his album, Dangerous, spent a record-breaking ten straight weeks at No. 1, mostly after the video and his apology. “Your response has meant so so much to me,†he wrote to fans. He also said he “will not be performing tour dates this summer,†to allow himself more “time off.†He was previously set to join Luke Bryan, who will be performing rescheduled dates at stadiums and amphitheaters beginning in late May. Wallen implored his fans to still attend the Bryan tour and country festivals this summer to “support country music.â€
Wallen is “back in Nashville getting back into the swing of things,†he added. Notably, the update comes days ahead of the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards, which took Wallen out of eligibility after the video emerged during voting. (Dangerous itself won’t be eligible until the fall Country Music Association Awards, along with next spring’s ACMs, and neither group has announced how it will address Wallen’s future eligibility.) A group of fans purchased a billboard campaign supporting Wallen in Nashville for this week, Rolling Stone reported, a seemingly intentional move ahead of the ACMs. “My story is far from over,†Wallen concluded his note, adding that fans will “be seeing me sooner than later.â€