FLORENCE, AZ — Country singer Morgan Wallen has dropped out of Country Thunder and will not perform at the Arizona music festival in the fall. Old Dominion will step in and take his place.
The announcements come two months after TMZ posted a video of Wallen in Nashville allegedly using a racial slur and other profanities after a night out with friends.
Some country singers spoke out against Wallen at the time and country stations stopped playing his music. Wallen apologized days later.
On Wednesday, Wallen posted a photo of a hand-written letter to his social media accounts apologizing for his actions and telling them that he's been working on himself.
"I wanted to let you guys know that I’ve taken a couple months away and feel like I’ve really worked on myself. I’m proud of the work I’ve put in and in many ways, thankful to have had the time to do it. I’ve needed this time off.”
“I’ve found this time away to be very valuable to me in many ways, but I feel like I need a little more of it, and therefore will not be performing tour dates this summer."
Wallen was set to headline the Country Thunder music festival in Florence, which was pushed from April to October 14-17, 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement on Wednesday, Country Thunder said it was "very disappointed that Morgan Wallen has decided to cancel his 2021 events," and added that it was "looking forward to hosting Morgan just as much as everyone was to see him perform, and we wish him the best."
Arizona! We’re thrilled to welcome Old Dominion to this year’s Country Thunder Arizona Lineup! Can't wait to see you all in October – the countdown is on!
— Country Thunder (@countrythunder) April 14, 2021
Get your tickets at https://t.co/t3RwSEFjTV pic.twitter.com/F7wXWIqsW3
After the video surfaced in February, Country Thunder did not issue a statement about the video nor make a decision about Wallen. Instead, a spokesperson told ABC15 that they would share updates when available.
Singers Luke Combs, Eric Church and Dustin Lynch will also headline the Arizona festival.
Other performers include Ashley McBryde, Chris Janson, HARDY, Mitchell Tenpenny, Parker McCollum, Dallas Smith, Meghan Patrick, Parmalee, Chicks With Hits (featuring Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Suzie Bogguss), Kameron Marlowe, Drew Parker, Austin Jenckes, Seaforth and Nolan Sotillo.
Tickets are still available for the fall event. Those with tickets to the 2020 event will automatically be transferred and honored at the 2021 music festival.
Visit www.countrythunder.com for more information.
