The Nashville Metro Council rejected a proposal Tuesday to install a sign for Morgan Wallen’s sign to be installed at his new bar.
The request to install the sign, which would have read “Morgan Wallen’s This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen,” for Wallen’s future bar was rejected in a 30-3 vote, with councilmenbers citing numerous scandals involving the country star.
Wallen was arrested in Nashville in April on three felony charges after he allegedly threw a chair off the roof of a local bar, according to The Associated Press. In early 2021, video of the star using the n-word surfaced.
Councilwoman Delishia Porterfield referenced Wallen’s past behavior as the reason she voted against the signage. “We want to make sure that Nashville was a supportive place for everyone, so I don’t want to see a billboard with the name of a person who’s throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs, using the n-word, so I’m voting no,” she said.
🚨 BREAKING Country music superstar @MorganWallen tries to put up a sign for his new Broadway bar, but the council won’t allow it cause they think he’s mean pic.twitter.com/jClfVEELhn
— The Pamphleteer, Nashville ✰ ✰ ✰ (@realpamphleteer) May 22, 2024
The “Don’t Think Jesus” singer has apologized for both incidents, but according to the council, the damage had already been done. Wallen’s restaurant is slated to open for business on Memorial Day weekend, AP noted.
Council member Jordan Huffman seconded Porterfield’s comments by echoing his concerns.
“I rise to oppose this,” he said, according to WTMT. “Number 1 – Mr. Wallen is an East Tennessean – he gives all of us a bad name.”
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“His comments are hateful, his comments are harmful, and you don’t belong in this town, as far as I’m concerned,” he added.
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“Out of respect for everybody in this room and everybody in this city, I have to vote no,” another member said.(RELATED: Morgan Wallen Addresses Arrest, Claims He’s Making Amends)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 23: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Morgan Wallen performs onstage during the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 23, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Wallen has not issued public comment on the sign’s rejection. He’s scheduled to appear in court over the chair-throwing incident on Aug. 15, according to People.
