Grand Ole Opry Criticized for Surprise Morgan Wallen Performance

The Grand Ole Opry is under fire for Morgan Wallen’s performance at the iconic country music venue over the weekend.

Wallen, who has become a controversial name in country for his use of a racial slur on camera, has exited a temporary ban from certain organizations and returned to both touring and radio play as one of the most popular artists of 2021 across genres.

Many country artists, including Yola, Allison Russell, Rissi Palmer, Noelle Scaggs of Fitz and the Tantrums, Joy Oladokun, Chely Wright, as well as Grammy winners Brandi Carlile, and Jason Isbell, have spoken out against the Opry’s silent compliance with Wallen’s re-emergence into the music scene and its negative effects on the inclusivity of country music as a whole.

“Morgan Wallen’s thoughtless redemption tour is the nail in the coffin of me realizing these systems and this town is not really for us,” wrote Oladokun on Sunday.

“It’s the idea of a young Black artist walking into that venue and wondering if ANYBODY is on their side,” wrote Isbell. “What a lot of us consider to be a grand ole honor can be terrifying for some.”

In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, the Opry said in a tweet, “Racism is real. It is unacceptable. And it has no place at The Grand Ole Opry.”

The Grand Ole Opry has still yet to comment on Wallen’s controversial appearance on its historical stage.

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