Country music singer Morgan Wallen has spoken publicly for the first time on Friday since his arrest for allegedly throwing a chair off a bar's rooftop in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this month.
Wallen was arrested earlier this month after the chair landed on the sidewalk just feet away from two Metro Nashville police officers. The singer had been partying at fellow country music singer Eric Church's new establishment, Chief's Bar, when he allegedly threw the chair.
His arrest report said Wallen was reportedly "lunging and throwing an object over the roof," with some witnesses telling a local news station that he was seen laughing after the incident.
Wallen was taken into custody and charged with three counts of reckless endangerment for the two officers who were near the chair's impact spot, danger to the public and disorderly conduct. His bond was set at $15,250 and he was released a few hours after his arrest, per Metro Nashville police.
Now, almost two weeks after his arrest, Wallen has spoken out about the incident—addressing his silence in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.
"I didn't feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I've touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief's. I'm not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility," he wrote on Friday.
In a reply to that post, he added: "I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe. Regarding my tour, there will be no change. -MW."
Newsweek contacted Wallen's representatives by email for further comment.
I didn't feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I'm not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.
— morgan wallen (@MorganWallen) April 20, 2024
I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe. Regarding my tour, there will be no change. -MW
— morgan wallen (@MorganWallen) April 20, 2024
His fans tried to comfort him in the replies and praised his posts.
"Thank you for the apology to law enforcement and keep your head up .... Making amends is important. Your a human being and we all make mistakes hun. - blessings Dr. Mary," wrote X user @DrMaryAndDNP.
X user @Cayutsbby added: "It's not a big deal bubba. They're overreacting bc of who you are."
"Life is all about learning, growing, and moving forward," commented @wilsonwesleygre.
Wallen will face court on the charges on May 3, per the Davidson County Criminal Court. He will already be in the city at that time for his tour, with concert dates on May 2 to May 4.
The country music star who is one of the biggest in the industry, is no stranger to making public apologies. He was involved in a racism scandal in 2021 when a video of him using a racial slur was given to media. As a result, he was temporarily removed from radio, fired by his booking agency, disqualified from award events, and even suspended from his own label.
Wallen apologized and met with Black leaders "to learn and try to be better."
In May 2020, he was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly behavior at country music singer Kid Rock's bar in Nashville. Then five months after that incident, he was removed as a performer on Saturday Night Live after producers learned he had broken the show's COVID-19 safety regulations. However, he returned to perform two months later.
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