Back in February 2021, a video of country music star Morgan Wallen saying a racial slur when he returned home from a night out drinking with his friends could have derailed his career. His music was pulled from radio stations and Spotify. He lost his record deal, and he was banned from the Academy of Country Music Awards. Yet, Wallen’s music sales skyrocketed.

Wallen’s fans rallied around him, and he won three Billboard music awards even though he was banned from attending and performing at the awards show.

Wallen apologized after the video surfaced, and weeks later, he apologized again via Instagram. He explained that he regretted his behavior and had stopped drinking. He also told his fans not to make excuses for him or apologize for him. He owned his actions.

Besides his Instagram apology, we hadn’t heard Wallen’s side of the story until now. Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan sat down with the singer for his very first interview since the video where he said a racial slur was shared by TMZ. In the interview, Strahan asked Wallen if he understand why what he said was so offensive and if he thinks the country music industry is racist. Wallen didn’t shy away from answering the questions honestly. 

Watch the interview below to hear Wallen’s answers to these questions as well as to hear him explain how he found out about the video and what he has been doing since the video surfaced.

Do you think the country music industry is racist? Do you think Wallen has done enough to educate himself and apologize for what happened? If not, what else could he do? Are you a fan of country music? Do you think the fact that Wallen’s music sales increased after the video was shared by TMZ says a lot about country music fans?