Darius Rucker Says It's Time For Everyone To Forgive Morgan Wallen For Using The N-Word

Darius Rucker has forgiven Morgan Wallen for using a racial slur in 2021. And he believes it's time for the rest of the country music world to do the same.

In an interview with Rolling Stone Music Now last week, Rucker said Wallen has grown up since the February 2021 incident when TMZ posted a video taken by one of Wallen's neighbors in front of the singer's Nashville home. In the footage, a stumbling Wallen tells someone to "take care of this p*ssy-ass N-word," while being dropped off.

"I think Morgan's become a better person since that," Rucker said. "I've known Morgan a long time. Since all that happened, Morgan's tried to really better himself and become a better person and see the world in a much better, better way. And you know, he's not forgiven."

Sure, Morgan Wallen is selling out arenas as one of the most commercially successful artists over the past decade. Country music fans have certainly moved on. But Rucker pointed out that the industry, as a whole, is still holding a grudge against Wallen, as the wildly successful singer has been snubbed at the ACMs, the CMAs and the Grammy Awards.

"He's still not out for CMAs and ACMs," Rucker explained. "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."

Darius Rucker Goes To Bat For Morgan Wallen

Following the incident, several radio stations pulled Wallen's music off the air, and his record label suspended his contract. So he went into full damage control mode and checked himself into rehab.

Morgan Wallen performs the song "'98 Braves" at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.

(Photo by Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)

He then spoke with Black leaders and pledged $500,000 to Black-affiliated groups, which he ultimately fulfilled. A large portion of that money went to the Black Music Action Coalition. Wallen also donated $300,000 on behalf of 20 individuals who counseled him through the period.

"I’ve talked to a lot of people, heard stories [about] things that I would have never thought about because I wasn’t the one going through it," Wallen told Billboard last year. "And I think, for me, in my heart I was never that guy that people were portraying me to be, so there was a little bit of like, ‘Damn, I’m kind of actually mad about this a little bit because I know I shouldn’t have said this, but I’m really not that guy.’

"I put myself in just such a sh*tty spot, you know? Like, ‘You really messed up here, guy.’ If I was that guy, then I wouldn’t have cared. I wouldn’t have apologized. I wouldn’t have done any of that if I really was that guy that people were saying about me."

And despite that whole chair-throwing incident, Wallen said he's "definitely not the same person" as he was in that video. And Darius Rucker seems to agree.