Morgan Wallen smirked in court as he pled guilty after a April 2024 incident where he threw a chair off the roof of a Nashville bar.
The 31-year-old country megastar pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment in a Nashville, Tennessee court on Thursday seven months after waiving his first court appearance.
The counts were reduced from the three Class E felonies he was initially charged with eight months ago.
Wallen will be incarcerated for seven days in a DUI education center before proceeding to be on supervised probation for two years.
Back in April, Wallen spoke out publicly for the first time since he was arrested in Nashville for allegedly throwing a chair off the roof of a bar earlier this month.
On April 19, the country singer broke his silence, issuing a statement on X (formerly Twitter) and adding that his ongoing tour will continue as planned despite the charges.
Morgan Wallen smirked in court as he pled guilty after a April 2024 incident where he threw a chair off the roof of a Nashville bar
This comes after he was arrested on three felony counts of reckless endangerment and one misdemeanor charge on April 7 (his mugshot released by the Metro Nashville Police Department on April 8, 2024)
This comes after he was arrested on three felony counts of reckless endangerment and one misdemeanor charge on April 7, according to a statement shared by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month.
‘I didn’t feel right public checking in until I made amends with some folks,’ he wrote before adding that he had reached out to ‘the good people’ at fellow country artist Eric Church’s bar — where the alleged incident occurred.
‘I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s,’ he continued. ‘I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.’
In continuation of the tweet, he added: ‘I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe.’
About his ongoing One Night At A Time Tour, which he kicked off in Indianapolis, Indiana earlier this month on April 4, he said that there would be no postponements nor cancellations even as he prepares to return to Nashville to perform.
‘Regarding my tour, there will be no change,’ he explained before signing off with just his initials.
He is set to perform over the weekend on Saturday, April 20 at the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
The concert was scheduled to be the makeup-date after he cancelled his April 24, 2023 appearance because he said he needed vocal rest.
The following week, Wallen will be traveling to Indio, California to headline Stagecoach as planned alongside Chief’s Bar owner Eric Church and Miranda Lambert.
After his musical festival appearance, he will return to Nashville for a three-day stint at the Nissan Stadium.
Wallen will continue traveling across the United States before wrapping his tour with two nights in Las Vegas and closing on August 9.
On April 19, the country singer broke his silence, issuing a statement on X (formerly Twitter ) and adding that his ongoing tour will continue as planned despite the charges; seen in November 2023
On Friday, the country singer, 30, broke his silence by issuing a statement on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote that he is ‘not proud of my behavior’ but has ‘made amends’ with law enforcement in Nashville as well as ‘the good people’ at the bar where the incident occurred
He added that his ongoing tour will continue as planned despite the charges
About his ongoing One Night At A Time Tour, which he kicked off in Indianapolis, Indiana earlier this month on April 4, he said that there would be no postponements nor cancellations even as he prepares to return to Nashville to perform.
He is set to perform in Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday, April 20 — the makeup-date for a concert he was forced to cancel last year. He will also be headlining Stagecoach (alongside Chief’s Bar owner Eric Church and Miranda Lambert) as planned
After his musical festival appearance, he will be returning to Nashville for a three-day stint at the Nissan Stadium. Then, Wallen will continue traveling across the United States before wrapping his tour with two nights in Las Vegas and closing on August 9
It was previously reported that he could face a lengthy prison sentence after the incident and his arrest in Nashville
It was previously reported that he could face a lengthy prison sentence after the incident.
An arrest affidavit said the chair landed about three feet from officers, who talked to witnesses and reviewed security footage.
Witnesses told officers that they watched Wallen pick up a chair, throw it over the roof and laugh about it.
Wallen, who was released after posting a $15,000 bond, is potentially looking at six years behind bars, one legal expert told Fox News.
‘The felony charges are the most serious ones and could land Wallen in jail for up to six years if he is prosecuted and convicted of those charges,’ former New York prosecutor Rither Alabre told the network.
‘The reckless endangerment counts could have been charged as misdemeanors, which would have made them less serious and exposed Wallen to a maximum of up to 11 months and 29 days in jail,’ he added.
The incident led to allegations that Wallen was distraught after learning that his former fiancee, KT Smith, had secretly eloped.
Chief’s Bar is owned by fellow country artist Eric Church and was celebrating its grand opening over the weekend
Wallen was accused of throwing the chair from the roof of the six floor building on April 7
‘A reckless endangerment count can be charged as a class E felony if the alleged act was committed with a deadly weapon,’ Alabre continued, noting the police claim that the chair landed close to officers and other revelers.
‘For the charges of reckless endangerment, Wallen is facing not less than one year nor more than six years in prison.’
‘It appears unlikely that the charges would be completely dismissed against Wallen because, according to some reports, the police reviewed video showing Wallen “lunging and throwing an object over the roof” and some witnesses claimed that they saw him throwing the chair,’ Alabre added.
‘Given those allegations, the next steps would be for Wallen’s lawyer to engage with prosecutors and try to resolve this matter with a plea to a lesser charge, either a misdemeanor or even possibly a lower charge where he would face little to no jail time,’ the attorney went on.
On Monday, fellow country star John Rich took to Twitter with some advice for Wallen.
‘I can’t help but recall all the destructive, crazy things I did early on in my career,’ Rich, who is one half of the duo Big & Rich, wrote.
‘The combo of intense pressure, expectations and over the top success is a dangerous cocktail.’
‘Thank God I had great mentors who helped guide me out of that mindset, and I hope Morgan has some people around him who care about him enough to help him find a new approach to life,’ Rich wrote.
‘It takes a lifetime to build what he’s built, and one second to destroy it all. I’m rooting for him to turn it around,’ he concluded.
Smith began dating Wallen in 2017 and quickly got engaged, though they ended their engagement before welcoming a child in 2020; seen in 2017 in Nashville
Wallen was spotted after posting bond
Wallen’s bond was set at $15,250. He was spotted being shielded by umbrellas as he was released from Davidson County jail around 3:30am earlier this month
A fan responded to the original message saying: ‘Fame makes some insane. Something is going on in his life. Surrounded by yes, friends don’t help.’
‘It can be toxic,’ Rich replied.
Wallen’s attorney, Worrick Robinson, confirmed the arrest late Sunday and said the singer was cooperating fully with authorities. He was released from custody, and has a court date scheduled May 3.
Wallen is one of the biggest names in contemporary country. His third studio album, 2023’s One Thing at a Time, was the most-consumed album in the U.S. last year.
It spent 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 in 2023 — which meant he held the top spot for 30 percent of the year, more time at No. 1 than any other album since Adele’s 21 dominated over a decade ago.
It included several top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: Last Night, You Proof, Thinkin’ Bout Me, Thought You Should Know and Don’t Think Jesus
In 2021, the country singer was suspended indefinitely from his label and saw his music pulled by radio stations and streaming services after video surfaced of him shouting a racial slur.
As a result, he was disqualified or limited from several award shows and received no Grammy nominations for his bestselling Dangerous: The Double Album.
In 2020, he was arrested on public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges after being kicked out of Kid Rock’s bar in downtown Nashville.
At the time, Wallen posted on social media that he and some friends were ‘horse-playing’ after a few bar stops.
‘We didn’t mean any harm, and we want to say sorry to any bar staff or anyone that was affected,’ Wallen posted on X. ‘Thank you to the local authorities for being so professional and doing their job with class. Love y’all.’
