I was getting ready for' Saturday Night Live' this Saturday and I got a call from the show that I will no longer be able to play, and Saturday Night Live's because of Covid protocols, which I understand.

Morgan Wallen

I was around some of my friends and we just, we say dumb stuff together. In our minds it's playful. It sounds ignorant but that's really where it came from, and it's wrong, we were all clearly drunk and I was asking his girlfriend to take care of him because he was drunk and he was leaving. I didn't mean it in any derogatory manner at all.

I was around some of my friends, and we say dumb stuff together, in our minds, it’s playful. That sounds ignorant but that’s really where it came from. And it’s wrong.

I don’t know how to put myself in their shoes because I’m not, you know, but I do understand, especially when I say that I’m using it playfully, or whatever, ignorantly, I understand that must sound like ‘He doesn’t understand.’.

I was around some of my friends, and we just... we say dumb stuff together, and it was -- in our minds, it's playful... that sounds ignorant, but it -- that's really where it came from... and it's wrong.

Women in country music could make the same claim, to some degree, that Black artists could. That they haven't been made to feel welcome.

I let so many people down who mean a lot to me, who have given so much to me, it's just not fair. I let my parents down and they're the furthest thing from the person in that video. I let my son down and I'm not OK with that.

There's no reason to downplay what I did. It matters and please know I'm carefully choosing my next steps in repair.

I'm embarrassed and sorry, i used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better.

And they have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams, i respect the show's decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy and I take ownership for this. I'd like to apologize to' SNL,' to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities and I let them down.

SNL, lastly, I know that Im taking some heat, a lot of heat, but I just wanted to let you guys know that youre messages of encouragement havent gone unnoticed either.