Maren Morris has spoken up about how “scary” things got when she exposed fellow musician Morgan Wallen’s 2021 use of a racial slur.
In the Thursday, August 29 edition of Sophia Bush’s podcast, “Work in Progress,” Morris revealed that after she criticized the country singer’s usage of the N-word, she and her family—including her 4-year-old son Hayes—received death threats.
Less than a year old at the time, Hayes is the child she has with her ex-husband Ryan Hurd.
Morris, 34, said to host Bush, “I mean, the death threat portion for me as a young mother was obviously scary.” “Moreover, I wasn’t the target of death threats. My son was also the target of it. So, it’s as if—whoa. We are now including the children, the ones you loved so deeply.
In 2021, video of Wallen, 31, making a racist insult while out on the town in Nashville went viral. Morris responded by tweeting, “We all know it wasn’t his first time using that word,” taking aim at Wallen. We use whatever means necessary to keep them wealthy, safe, and without redress.
In the podcast, Morris reiterated her stance, stating that she couldn’t figure out why it caused such a strong reaction.
You’re thinking, ‘How can people be so angry about criticism of cruelty?’ Morris stated. “I believe it’s because, in addition to supporting the individual who made this statement, they also seem to be taking it personally as though I’m criticizing them.
Discover Maren Morris’s powerful story of facing threats for calling out racism. Stay tuned to know about celebrities lives updates. Don’t miss it!
This, in my opinion, says a lot more about how they understand criticism and what kind of content they find offensive than it does about me personally calling someone out for using the N-word or even transphobic stuff that I have previously criticized.”
“I don’t regret it, and I don’t apologize,” she continued. I feel exactly the same as I did on that day. Refrain from racism. Avoid transphobia. Avoid being homophobic.
A week after the video was made public, Wallen issued a video apology, expressing regret for having used the term.
The vocalist of “Last Night” stated, “The video you saw was me on hour 72 of 72 of a bender, and that’s not something I’m proud of.” “I accepted some invitations to have some very honest and real conversations with some executives and leaders of some amazing Black organizations.”
Morris had already discussed the criticism, saying in an October 2023 interview with the New York Times’ “Popcast” podcast that the event gave her a great deal of “pain.”
“I’m not discussing the slur because I have no idea how that feels. “I am Caucasian,” she clarified. “The death threats are the fallout for me. not against me alone, but against my son as well. Never would have imagined that it would get there simply for calling out a racist insult.