Maren Morris has opened up about just how “scary” things became after she called out fellow musician Morgan Wallen for using a racial slur in 2021.
Morris shared on the Thursday, August 29 episode of Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast that she and her family, including her son Hayes, 4, received death threats following her criticism of the country singer’s use of the N-word. Hayes, who she shares with ex-husband Ryan Hurd, was less than a year old at the time.
“I mean, the death threat portion for me as a young mother was obviously scary,” Morris, 34, told host Bush. “And it wasn’t death threats against me. It was against my son, too. So it’s like, ‘Oh, wow. Now we’re involving the kids, the ones that you cared so much about.’”
Footage of Wallen, 31, using a racial slur during a night out in Nashville went viral in 2021. In response, Morris took aim at Wallen, tweeting, “We all know it wasn’t his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse.”
Morris doubled down on her response in the podcast, explaining she didn’t understand why it drew as much backlash as it did.
“You’re like, ‘How are people this pissed over the criticism of cruelty?’” Morris said. “I think it’s because they’re not only defending the person that said this, but they’re taking it personally as if I’m criticizing them, which I think says a lot more about their interpretation of criticism — and what that content was — than me as a person calling out someone using the N- word, or even transphobia s–t I’ve criticized in the past.”
She added: “I don’t regret it, I don’t apologize. I feel the exact same way as I did that day … Don’t be racist. Don’t be transphobic. Don’t be homophobic.”
Wallen has since apologized for using the slur, releasing a video statement one week after the footage was made public.
“The video you saw was me on hour 72 of 72 of a bender, and that’s not something I’m proud of,” the “Last Night” singer said. “I accepted some invitations from some amazing Black organizations, some executives and leaders, to engage in some very real and honest conversations.”
Morris has previously spoken about the backlash, telling the New York Times’ “Popcast” podcast in October 2023 that the experience caused a lot of “pain” in her life.
“I’m not talking about the slur, because how would I know what that feels like? I’m white,” she clarified. “For me, the fallout … the death threats. Not just against me, but against my son. Could never have fathomed it would go there just off of criticizing a racial slur.”