Morgan Wallen tests the limits of cancel culture by staging attention-seeking foolishness

On Sunday, CMT Music Awards viewers watched a moving speech by top winner Jelly Roll about the power of redemption and second chances.

A convicted felon and former drug dealer who turned his life around, Jelly Roll addressed youth in juvenile detention in Nashville and Austin, where the awards were held. “Thank you to CMT, man. I couldn’t believe it y’all gave me a chance last year...I came back this year on fire, baby! I'm having one of the greatest nights of my life!”

The next morning, the news cycle shifted to another country music celebrity who seems never to suffer any lasting consequences for his bad behavior: Morgan Wallen.

Metro Nashville Police Department arrested Wallen on three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of disorderly conduct. The singer is accused of flinging a chair from the sixth story of performer Eric Church's new honky-tonk Chief’s to the street on Lower Broadway, nearly hitting law enforcement officers.

Who does that? That kind of behavior is obnoxious and atrocious, and it feeds into the image of debauchery that hard core revelers have propagated of downtown Nashville.

Another view: Morgan Wallen proves that anti-heroes don't get canceled

Morgan Wallen has survived numerous attempts at canceling him

On Monday, MNPD released a mugshot of Wallen sporting a goofy grin as if to say: “You caught me, but I don't care.”

Wallen has proven to be a Teflon performer.

Remember in 2020 when he flouted COVID rules before an appearance at Saturday Night Live, getting booted from the show – before being invited anew not long after.

In 2021, he flippantly used the n-word, a moment caught on video, and he was a pariah for a brief time in country music – until he wasn't.

That same year, Alabamian Darlene Ingram paid for billboards in support of Wallen that appeared in Nashville. She wrote in a letter to the editor to The Tennessean: "When Morgan asked for forgiveness and he meant it, it should have been over. No one knows what he has done to better himself or to help others."

In 2022, Wallen got to go back on the Grand Ole Opry stage, sparking a backlash before the rage died down.

Wallen should apologize, but only if he's actually contrite

But remorse comes through in actions, not just in hollow statements.

Jelly Roll is right to ask for second chances. Morgan Wallen's fans may think he deserves a permanent pass.

But if Wallen is serious about changing his ways, he needs to apologize to the public in Nashville (it was a public street after all), he must accept responsibility and pay restitution, and he has to stop acting like a fool.

Otherwise, it will be blatantly apparent that he is just desperate for attention.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at [email protected] or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Morgan Wallen Nashville arrest shows country star begs for attention