There’s good and bad news for one of the biggest country music stars on the planet right now: He leads the 2024 class with the most Country Music Association (CMA) nominations, but according to Life & Style, he may also soon spend time in prison.
The musician we’re referring to is Morgan Wallen, who, according to Billboard, received seven 2024 CMA nominations, more than any other artist. Four of those nominations came for Wallen’s song, “I Had Some Help” with Post Malone, which earned nods for “Song of the Year,” “Single of the Year,” “Musical Event of the Year,” and “Music Video of the Year.”
But in April, Wallen was arrested in Nashville, charged with three felony counts of reckless endangerment and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct when Wallen allegedly threw a chair off the roof of Chief’s on Broadway, a six-story bar. No one was injured. The chair landed near two police officers.
Morgan was in the midst of a stadium tour when he was arrested, and his first court hearing related to the case, scheduled at first for September, was bumped to December to accommodate his touring schedule. The 2024 CMA Awards are scheduled for Nov. 20.
Could Morgan Wallen go to jail?
After possibly taking home as many as seven CMA awards in November, if convicted, Morgan Wallen could be sentenced to as much as six years in jail for three felony counts of reckless endangerment stemming from the Nashville chair incident, People reported. At the very least, sources tell Life & Style that Wallen will spend between 30 and 60 days in jail, but he could also get probation if his lawyers successfully plea deal his charges down to misdemeanors. “I don’t think the prosecutors want him to skate away with no time because people will think it’s because of his celebrity status,” the source said.
Morgan Wallen won “Best New Artist” in 2020
The last time Morgan Wallen won a CMA was for “Best New Artist” in 2020, but the next year, Wallen was captured on video using a racial slur and was banned from the 2021 CMA ceremonies. He was banned from other major industry award ceremonies, and his label temporarily suspended his contract amid the slur controversy. Also in 2020, Wallen was arrested in Nashville for public intoxication and disorderly conduct after he was kicked out of Kid Rock’s Nashville bar. In 2021, Wallen was nominated for Album of the Year CMA, but lost.
Wallen also baited public controversy when, in 2020, a video surfaced on social media showing the country singer kissing several women at an Alabama football game amid COVID-19 health and safety restrictions. As a result, Wallen’s debut Saturday Night Live performance was called off. He later appeared in a sketch on the show.
Of the 2024 Nashville chair incident, Wallen wrote on X, “I didn’t feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility,” Wallen added.
Published: Sep 17, 2024 04:42 pm