Country singer Morgan Wallen gets 2 AMA nominations but is banned from the show
Just because country music star Morgan Wallen picked up two nominations at the American Music Awards doesn't mean he's actually invited to the show.
The nominations for 2021 American Music Awards were unveiled on Thursday, and Olivia Rodrigo and the Weeknd picked up the most nods. But also earning two nominations was Morgan Wallen, who was embroiled in scandal earlier this year after he was caught on video using the N-word. Despite being nominated, though, Wallen isn't actually welcome at the awards ceremony.
"Morgan Wallen is a nominee this year based on charting," a statement from MRC Live & Alternative said, per Variety. "As his conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting)."
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The statement noted the nominees are "determined by performance on the Billboard Charts and are not chosen by a voting committee or membership organization," although it added that "winners are voted entirely by fans," which Variety points out seemed to leave open the possibility Wallen could win the awards he's nominated for. Wallen is up for Favorite Male Country Artist and Favorite Country Album, being nominated in the latter category for Dangerous: The Double Album. Sales of his music spiked following his racist slur scandal.
As far as whether Wallen could eventually be invited back to the awards ceremony, the MRC Live & Alternative statement said "we plan to evaluate his progress in doing meaningful work as an ally to the Black community and will consider his participation in future shows." Wallen has apologized over his use of the N-word, telling told Good Morning America over the summer, "I was around some of my friends, and we say dumb stuff together. It was, in our minds, it's playful ... that sounds ignorant, but that's really where it came from, and it's wrong."
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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