Country star’s bad behavior causes Nashville to reject sign for his new bar

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Members of Nashville’s Metro Council rejected plans by country singer Morgan Wallen to erect a glowing sign at his new bar in the city’s entertainment district, citing his use of racial slurs and disorderly behavior.

Wallen had asked for approval to hang a sign for Morgan Wallen’s This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen over a public sidewalk, rather than flush against the building, as several other taverns have done. The bar is set to open Memorial Day weekend.

But on Tuesday, the council voted 30-3 to reject the star’s request, The Associated Press said.

“I don’t want to see a billboard up with the name of a person who is throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs,” said Councilwoman Councilmember Delishia Porterfield, who is Black.

During debate, councilmembers ripped comments from Wallen, including use of a racial slur and other profanities that was caught on camera after a drunken night out in 2021, describing them as hateful.

More recently, Wallen, 30, was charged with three felony counts of reckless endangerment and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. The charges stem from an incident in April in which a chair was thrown from the rooftop of Chief’s bar, a six-story club newly opened in the Broadway entertainment district. The chair hit the ground near two police officers.

Witnesses told officers they saw Wallen pick up a chair, throw it off the roof and laugh about it, The Associated Press said. Wallen later apologized on X, formerly Twitter, saying “I’m not proud of my behavior and accept responsibility.”

Wallen is due back in court on those charges on Aug. 15.

Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” album spent 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 in 2023 and was the most-consumed album in the U.S. last year, the AP said. Top 10 hits from the album included “Last Night,” “You Proof” and “Thinkin’ Bout Me.”

Wallen’s celebrity status aside, members of the Metro Council balked on approving his sign, saying his behavior is at issue and that he’s already had multiple second chances.

Councilmember Jacob Kupin, who presented the proposal, said he “thought long and hard” about what to do because of Wallen’s behavior. He noted that the organization that will be managing the business, TC Restaurant Group, has been “really, a good partner” and has worked to make downtown Nashville safer.

“The fact that someone’s name is going up on a bar doesn’t mean that we condone all the behavior, but again I appreciate the efforts to make amends, the positive response, and again, the operator themselves I don’t think should be penalized for what happened,” Kupin said.