Morgan Wallen’s mother lashed out against the city of Nashville after council members voted against erecting a sign bearing the star’s name at the site of his restaurant, “This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen.”
Lesli Wallen took to social media to vent her frustrations about how the matter of the sign was handled. The situation began when Nashville Metro council members voted 30-3 against the construction of a 20-foot sign bearing Wallen’s name above the front entrance of his new bar. The sign met all zoning regulations, but several council members spoke out against the sign as a result of Wallen’s past behavior, including a history of arrests, and the April incident in which he threw a chair off a bar rooftop, according to WYMT. The star’s outspoken mother blasted the city of Nashville for reaping the benefits of the finances generated by her son’s performances in the city, but then denying his signage.
🚨 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
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Jordan Huffman spoke out against Wallen during the council meeting, at one point saying, “Mr. Wallen is an East Tennessean — he gives all of us a bad name.” He concluded by saying, “his comments are hateful, his comments are harmful, and you don’t belong in this town, as far as I’m concerned,” according to WTMT
The most recent social media exchange began when Wallen threw shade at the city of Nashville in a post shared to his Instagram story. News outlet Country Chord posted an Instagram update about his post, which included an image of the sold-out stadium crowd at one of his concerts in the very city the councilman told him he didn’t belong in.
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“@morganwallen throws shade at the Nashville Metro council members for voting against the ‘aerial encroachment’ construction of a 20-foot neon sign bearing his name above the front entrance of his new bar with a photo of a sold-out stadium crowd in the same city @jordanhuffmantn said he ‘don’t belong in,'” Country Chord wrote to social media.
Lesli wasted no time hitting back against the social media post, and against council members that refused to throw their support behind her son, in spite of the benefits the city reaped as a direct result of his concerts in the region.
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)
“Way to go Morgan, the city of Nashville says ‘Thank you for all of your help bringing in millions of revenue,'” she wrote as a comment to their post. (RELATED: Nashville Council Rejects Bar Sign Bearing Morgan Wallen’s Name Due To Chair Throwing, Racial Slur)
“This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen” opened as planned, on Memorial Day weekend, albeit without the oversized sign Wallen had hoped for.
