Billboards supporting Morgan Wallen appeared around Nashville this week ahead of Sunday's ACM Awards.
Nicholas Hunt/Getty ImagesA series of digital billboards showing messages of support for country singer Morgan Wallen appeared throughout downtown Nashville this week. In February, Wallen was seen on video using a racial slur, a scandal that elicited a swift rebuke from the country music community.
“His Fan’s Choice: Entertainer of the Year,” read one of the billboards. “Support that boy from East Tennessee.” The words, over a background of buffalo plaid, are complemented by an outline of Wallen’s signature mullet, the hashtag #GAHT (a Wallen ad-lib that has become popular with his fans), and a reference to Mark 11:25, a biblical verse about forgiveness that reads, in part, “If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
A representative for Wallen declined to comment, but clarified that the singer was not involved in the purchasing of the billboard ad space in any capacity.
According to Lamar, the advertising company that hosts the billboards, a Morgan Wallen fan approached them about the campaign last month. The company confirmed to Rolling Stone that they have not communicated with Morgan Wallen’s team about the billboards.
Although the billboards did not initially reveal who paid for them, they now include a displayed disclosure that they were funded by fans, according to a rep for Lamar. (“Paid for by Darleen Ingram and 824 Loyal Fans,” the billboards read).
The visible show of support for Wallen in Nashville comes during the week leading up to Sunday’s 56th ACM Awards. Earlier this year, the Academy of Country Music announced that they would “halt” Wallen’s “potential involvement and eligibility” for this year’s awards show.
“We allow our billboard network to be used to display commercial and non-commercial messages, and we have an extensive…policy governing what types of content is permissible,” a representative for Lamar tells Rolling Stone. “In the case of the Morgan Wallen billboards, the content met with Lamar’s Copy Acceptance Policy standards. However, the billboards were initially missing the required disclaimer disclosing the advertiser’s identity, which has since been added.”
After footage of Wallen using a racial slur surfaced earlier this year, the singer had his music removed from the major conglomerate radio stations and streaming services. The Sneedville, Tennessee, native issued a series of apologies, most recently in February, when he told fans to stop defending him. “I fully accept any penalties I’m facing,” Wallen said. “The timing of my return is solely upon me and the work I put in.”
Wallen’s latest project, Dangerous: The Double Album, spent 10 weeks at Number One on the Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums charts upon its release.
Sade will not be attending their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this week.
The English group, made up of Sade Adu, Paul Denman, Stuart Matthewman, and Andrew Hale, are among this year's inductees into the prestigious institution. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this Saturday.
However, a representative for Sade confirmed on Tuesday through the band's official website that none of the members would be attending the event.
"We're sorry that we won't be able to join everyone in person to celebrate alongside the other artists. However, our absence does not lessen how deeply this recognition means to us," they stated. "Being welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a wonderful honour and a meaningful opportunity to express our gratitude, not just to everyone who voted for us, but to every person who has made our music part of their lives."
The representative also acknowledged their manager Roger Davies for his support and paid tribute to the late engineer and co-producer Mike Pela, who passed away in 2022.
"We owe so much to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey," they continued, before signing the message: "Sade, Stuart, Andrew, and Paul. Mike Pela, the fifth member of Sade... This recognition belongs to you just as much as it does to us, Mike. You will always be our soul mate."
Sade will be joining Oasis among the artists missing this year's ceremony. Liam Gallagher previously addressed his absence in a message on X, saying the journey was "too far" for him to make just "for the night".
The other musicians being recognised at this weekend's ceremony include Billy Idol, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, the late Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
