The 'Whiskey Glasses' singer is among winners announced before the telecast show, weeks after the organizers stated that he would be excluded from the show in any capacity.
- May 24, 2021
AceShowbiz - Morgan Wallen isn't completely snubbed from this year's Billboard Music Awards following his N-word controversy. Despite the organizers' vow to ban him from the 2021 show, the country music star has bagged multiple awards from the event.
The 28-year-old was among several winners who were announced hours before the telecast show. He won three trophies, for Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist and Top Country Album, the latest of which was for his sophomore project "Dangerous: The Double Album".
These marked the first awards the Tennessee native has won since he was caught hurling racial epithets to his friend when returning home in Nashville after a drunken night out in late January. He was nominated for six awards at the Billboard Music Awards, including Top Song Sales Artist and Top Country Song. He landed two nominations for the latter category with his songs "Chasin' You" and "More Than My Hometown".
In late April, Dick Clark Productions announced that Wallen would be excluded from the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, which is currently airing from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, due to his N-word scandal. "With our content reaching millions of viewers, dcp and MRC have the privilege and responsibility to effect change by creating a more inclusive dialogue in our productions and across the industry," read the statement.
"Morgan Wallen is a finalist this year based on charting. As his recent conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting)," the message continued to read. "It is heartening and encouraging to hear that Morgan is taking steps in his anti-racist journey and starting to do some meaningful work. We plan to evaluate his progress and will consider his participation in future shows."
Wallen himself has previously apologized several times for using the N-word, saying via Instagram in February, "Obviously the natural thing to do is apologize further and just continue to apologize but because you got caught and that's not what I wanted to do... My words matter. My words can truly hurt a person and at my core, that's not what I'm okay with."
