EMBATTLED country music crooner Morgan Wallen has finally addressed the controversy over him using a racial slur.
The 27-year-old singer took to Instagram to issue a video statement where he "fully accepted" and "took ownership" of using the hate speech.
A video, which was first published by TMZ last week, showed Morgan outside a home in Nashville, Tennessee yelling profanities at his neighbors telling one to "take care of this p***y ass n***a."
Even though a number of people rushed to Morgan's defence including his sister and former Teen Mom star Jenelle Evans, the country singer has had his contract with Big Loud Records "suspended indefinitely."
Now, the singer has decided to address the shocking incident himself with an "update from me" on his Instagram.
In the five-minute video he begs his fans not to defend his vile words.
"I have one favor to ask. I appreciate those who still see something in me and have defended me," he began.
"But for today, please don't. I was wrong. It's on me. I take ownership for this and I fully accept any penalties I'm facing."
Morgan admitted it was "long overdue to make a statement" but he wanted to gather his thoughts before rushing into his apology.
"The video you saw of me was me on hour 72 of 72 of a bender and that's not something I'm proud of either," he said.
"I let so many people down…I let my parents down. And they are the furthest people from [that video of me]. I let my son down."
Morgan added: "I'm not OK with that…this week I have been waiting to say anything further until I got the chance to apologize to those closest to me that I knew I personally hurt."
The Stand Alone singer also revealed he had "accepted some invitations from some amazing Black organizations, executives and leaders to engage in some real and honest conversations", even thought he "was pretty nervous to accept those invitations."
Morgan then addressed those he'd "hurt", saying they "had every right to step on [his] neck while [he] was down, to not show [him] any grace, but they did the exact opposite."
'They offered my grace and they also paired that with an offer to learn and to grow. And I will be honest with you, that kindness really inspired me to dig deeper on how to do something about this," he admitted.
"One thing I have learned already, that I am specifically sorry for, is that words matter and that word can truly hurt a person," before adding that "at [his] core, that's not what [he is] OK with."
"I came away from those discussions with a deep appreciation for them and a clearer understanding on the weight of my words," Morgan explained.
"I wish the circumstances were different for me to learn these things, but I am also glad it started a process for me to do so."
He added: "I've got many more things to learn but I already know that I don't want to add to any division. Our actions matter, our words matter, and I just want to encourage anyone watching to please learn from my mistakes. There is no reason to downplay what I did. It matters."
The Whiskey Glasses singer wanted to "end the video on a positive note" and revealed he had been "sober for nine days" which was long "enough [for him] to know the man in that video is not the man that [he is] trying to be."
He also admitted when he is not sober is "where the majority of mistakes are made."
"I have decided to go off the grid for a little while and get used to making good decisions. I want my team, my family, my friends, and even strangers to trust me. I want to trust me," Morgan finished up.
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"I'm gonna spend some time taking back control of my habit, living healthy, and being proud of my actions," as he reiterated to his fans to stop defending him.
Morgan's short career has been filled with controversy, especially over the past year.
In October 2020, Saturday Night Live dropped him from a scheduled performance on their show after he violated Covid-19 protocols, after videos appeared on social media of him partying with fans in Alabama.
He was later invited back on the show in December, where he appeared in a skit making fun of himself.
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