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Morgan Wallen’s team denies claims he was ‘too drunk’ to perform at canceled show

Morgan Wallen wearing a ballcap and holding a microphone while performing on stage
Representatives for Morgan Wallen have denied a security guard’s claims that the singer was “too drunk” to perform in Mississippi.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Morgan Wallen‘s team shut down rumors that he canceled his Sunday concert in Oxford, Miss., because he drank too much alcohol.

On Sunday the “Last Night” singer abruptly canceled his show in Mississippi, citing vocal rest ordered by his doctor. The sudden cancellation left fans — nearly 60,000 of whom packed Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at the University of Mississippi — stunned and looking for an explanation.

Days after the canceled concert, a TikTok user shared a video of a venue security guard claiming that Wallen “losing his voice is bull crap.” The security guard also claimed the singer “couldn’t walk,” was “too drunk” to perform and left in an ambulance.

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Morgan Wallen faces possible lawsuits and ire from fans after abruptly canceling his concert in Mississippi. The musician is on vocal rest.

As of Wednesday morning, the video has garnered more than 3.7 million views on TikTok.

BEST Crowd Management, which coordinated the security detail at the Mississippi show, condemned its employee in a statement shared on social media on Monday.

“A hired employee of BEST Crowd Management made false claims as it related to last night’s Morgan Wallen concert and we do not stand behind the detail in his statement,” the company said.

Wallen’s record label, Big Loud, has also dismissed the security guard’s claims. In a statement shared with The Times on Wednesday, Big Loud CEO and co-founder Seth England echoed that the singer “cancelled Sunday’s show at Oxford because he lost his voice.”

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Country musician Morgan Wallen will release three new songs — ‘One Thing at a Time,’ ‘Tennessee Fan’ and ‘Days That End in Why’ — Thursday night.

“He is on vocal rest per his doctor’s orders and he’s doing everything he can to be back at 100%,” England added.

In a since-expired Instagram story shared on Monday, England thanked BEST for “correcting your employee, who made up an entire story that was nowhere close to true,” Page Six reported.

“Every detail was false,” England continued.

On Monday, Wallen apologized to fans on Instagram and announced that he would postpone three other stops on the tour due to “doctor-ordered vocal rest.”

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“I appreciate and understand everything you do to get to my shows,” Wallen wrote in a since-expired Instagram story. “So it would be unfair of me to put on a show that I know will not be 100%.”

What’s clear about the country musician, who touched down Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena for the first of two sold-out concerts, is that being caught on video drunkenly using the N-word has not derailed his career.

Wallen could be facing legal backlash over his canceled concert. At least two law firms announced they are considering suing the singer to recover thousands of dollars that fans spent to attend the Sunday concert.

Mississippi law firm Langston & Lott wrote on Facebook that it will “re-file a class action lawsuit” regarding the canceled show after it voluntarily dismissed its suit on Tuesday.

Benjamin Philley, of law firm Kilpatrick & Philley, said on Facebook that Wallen’s abrupt cancellation “raises red flags and should be investigated.”

“A refund of the ticket price is insufficient to compensate us for our actual out-of-pocket expense,” the statement continued. “Like everyone affected, I want answers and will not rest until I get them.”

Times staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.

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