Justin Bieber, 27, is backtracking on his support for Morgan Wallen, 28, after he seemingly just learned about the country singer’s previous racial controversy. On Aug. 4, the “Baby” crooner took heat on social media after he complimented Morgan’s latest album, Dangerous: The Double Album, which was released in January. “Love this album,” Justin wrote on Twitter, according to PopCrave. But soon after, Justin reportedly deleted the tweet when fans criticized the pop star for supporting Morgan, who used a racial slur in a video that was leaked in February.
Justin had apparently not known about the major controversy involving Morgan, and issued an apology on his Instagram Stories. “I had no idea that the guy’s music I posted was recently found saying racist comments, as you know i don’t support or tolerate any sort of racism or discrimination. I had no idea, I sincerely apologize to anyone I offended,” Justin wrote.
In his next IG Story, Justin continued his apology and even acknowledged how he said “very hurtful racist jokes” when he was younger, likely referring to the 2009 racist parody of his song “One Less Lonely Girl,” which got leaked years later. “I hurt a lot of people especially the black people in my life but was fortunate enough to have had them educate me on the horrifying origin of the n word,” Justin wrote. “This brings those painful memories back up, I will always take ownership for my ignorance and my past because i know I am not that person.” He went on to say, “I have so much more to learn and I’m grateful for my black brothers and sisters for being patient with me as I have a long way to go.”
Justin’s apology comes over six months after Morgan himself expressed regret for using the n-word while outside his Nashville home with friends on Jan. 31. TMZ leaked a video of Morgan saying the racial slur two days later, and the country superstar was dropped by his record label and talent agency, deemed ineligible for many prestigious county music award shows, and his music was removed from multiple radio companies’ stations. Morgan issued an apology at the time, but the damage was clearly done. However, sales of Morgan’s music actually quadrupled after the scandal, per Yahoo! Money.
Morgan eventually addressed the controversy on Good Morning America on July 23. During the interview, the “7 Summers” singer said he did not say the slur “frequently” in the past, and “didn’t mean it any, in any derogatory manner at all.” Morgan also revealed that he checked himself into rehab after the scandal unfolded. “For 30 days, I spent some time out in San Diego, California — you know, just tryin’ to figure it out, ‘why am I acting this way? Do I have an alcohol problem? Do I have a deeper issue?’ ” he said.