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Timeline of Morgan Wallen's rollercoaster career after his most recent arrest
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Date:2025-04-19 16:19:10
NASHVILLE − Country music star Morgan Wallen has seen his share of public highs and lows since he first appeared on NBC's The Voice music competition nearly a decade ago.
On Sunday, Metro Nashville Police Department officers arrested the 30-year-old singer after he allegedly tossed a chair from the roof of Eric Church's six-story bar and live music venue on Lower Broadway as people stood below.
Police booked the chart-topping performer into the Davidson County jail on three counts of felony reckless endangerment and one of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
In a statement issued to USA TODAY through his representatives, Wallen's lawyer, Worrick Robinson, confirmed knowledge of the arrest and wrote that Wallen, who took home 11 trophies at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, is "cooperating fully with authorities."
Online court records show Wallen is due in court next month for "a settlement hearing" on the charges.
From his first No. 1 hit to his most recent arrest here's a timeline of Wallen's rollercoaster career:
August 2014:
Wallen appeared on the sixth season of NBC's "The Voice".
He auditioned with the song "Collide" by Howie Day and joined singer Usher's team but was eventually eliminated.
August 2016:
In August 2016, Big Loud Records announced it had signed then-23-year-old Wallen, who released his debut single with the label, “The Way I Talk,” that same year.
April 27, 2018
His debut studio album, "If I Know Me," is released on April 27, 2018.
October 2020: Wallen is nixed as musical guest on 'Saturday Night Live'
Three days before he was set to make his "Saturday Night Live" debut, NBC's Saturday Night Live uninvited Wallen as its slated musical guest after videos on social media captured him partying with strangers and kissing fans in Tuscaloosa, Alabama without a mask.
The star made the announcement from his hotel room in New York City after already traveling to appear on the show and later apologized calling his actions "pretty short-sighted."
Dec. 5, 2020: Wallen appears on SNL as musical guest
Just two months later, on Dec. 5, 2020, Wallen served as musical guest on SNL.
During episode 7 of Season 46, one skit featured Wallen acting alongside Jason Bateman and taking jabs at himself about his partying in Alabama as the nation's COVID response had evolved into a growing patchwork of restrictions.
May 23, 2020: Wallen is arrested in downtown Nashville
On May 23, 2020, Nashville police arrested Wallen on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct after he got kicked out of Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N' Roll Steakhouse.
The bar is downtown on Lower Broadway along Music City's famous honkytonk row.
According to the Tennessean, the star was booted from the bar about 11 p.m. for "kicking glass items" and got into verbal fights with passersby while officers watched.
Davidson County Criminal Court records do not show charges filed in that case, which means it was likely expunged.
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January 8, 2021:
Wallen released his second studio album Dangerous: The Double Album on Jan. 8, 2021.
February 2021:
In early February 2021, Big Loud Records announced it suspended Wallen's recording contract after the singer was captured on film drunkenly shouting a racial slur.
A video that went viral shows the then 27-year-old being dropped off at a house, telling a friend to "take care of this...(slur)," apparently referring to another person in the group.
Wallen was also dropped by his agency at the time, William Morris Endeavour. Wallen later released a statement saying he was "embarrassed and sorry" for his actions.
"I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back," Wallen said in a statement after the video was released. "There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better.”
Wallen later posted an apology video to YouTube, where he asked his followers who defended him to stop.
July 2021: Singer reveals trip to rehab
In July, Wallen made his first post-controversy appearance on “Good Morning America." He revealed to host Michael Strahan that after the incident, he checked into a rehab facility for 30 days in San Diego, saying the TMZ video captured him at the end of a "72-hour bender."
"(I was) just trying to figure it out," he told Strahan. "'Why am I going this way? Do I have an alcohol problem? Do I have a deeper issue?'"
March 3, 2023: Wallen releases third studio album
On March 3, 2023, Wallen released his third studio album, “One Thing at a Time," which produced his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit with "Last Night."
February 15, 2024:
In February, the singer announced plans to open a six-story bar along Lower Broadway called "This Bar."
The title comes from Wallen's 2019 song where he sings, "I found myself in this bar / Making mistakes and making new friends."
April 7, 2024: Wallen is arrested again on Lower Broadway
On April 7, 2024, Wallen was again arrested on Lower Broadway after Nashville police said threw a chair from a downtown rooftop bar for "no legitimate purpose."
According to an arrest affidavit, at 10:53 p.m. local time, two police officers were standing in front of Chief's Bar on Lower Broadway when they saw a chair fall from six stories above them and hit the street about 3 feet from them.
The arrest came the same day of CMT's 2024 Music Awards in Austin, Texas, which Wallen did not attend.
In response to the 2021 controversy surrounding him using a racial slur, CMT removed the star's music from all of their platforms. The ban has remained in effect for three years.
"We do not tolerate or condone words and actions that are in direct opposition to our core values that celebrate diversity, equity & inclusion," CMT representatives wrote on social media.
April 28, 2024: Wallen slated to headline Stagecoach
Wallen is slated to headline the Stagecoach country music festival in Indio on April 28.
Other headliners include Eric Church and Miranda Lambert.
Contributing: Marcus Dowling, Melissa Ruggieri
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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