Singer and "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star K. Michelle is defending her friend, Morgan Walllen, following his prior use of the N-word. The Singer K. Michelle Defends Morgan Wallen Following His ‘Racist’ Past: ‘He Is Black Culture’ first appeared on The Blast

Singer and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star K. Michelle is set to release her debut country music album, “Jesus and Whiskey,” in October. Ahead of its release and amid her unveiling of her new single, she’s defending her friendship with Morgan Wallen following his use of the N-word in the past.

K. Michelle Says Morgan Wallen Is Her Favorite Artist

Michelle appeared on iHeart’s “The Breakfast Club” on August 3 to promote her foray into country music following the release of her new single, “Jesus and Whiskey,” on July 31. During the conversation, the topic of Wallen came up, with her saying, “My favorite artist was and is, like, Morgan Wallen has been my favorite artist.”

After that, Charlamagne tha God mentioned Wallen’s past, specifically his use of the N-word from a January 2021 incident in Nashville. Michelle then said, “When I got to Nashville, I heard a song that like completely changed my life as an artist.” She went on to say it was Wallen’s song, “Talk in Tennessee.”

She said that after hearing the song, she “looked at [her] husband” and wished he “loved [her] like that.” From there, she mentioned the controversy, saying, “This man said [the N-word], right?” After that, she seemingly defended him by saying that he was speaking to one of his black bandmates or crew members, noting that he’s “deep in the bar-b-que.”

K. Michelle Says People ‘Pick and Choose’ Their Outrage

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This section of Michelle’s “Breakfast Club” interview continued with Charlamagne tha God reading what Wallen said. This then led the singer to say, “Yeah,” stating that Wallen does “talk like that,” regarding the other profanity in the video of the country singer.

Still, she said, “I don’t defend anything,” before stating that Wallen was wrong for using the word. However, she then claimed, “It’s funny how we pick and choose our outrage.” After that, she clarified, saying that some groups of people who aren’t black sometimes get a pass to say the word, but without going into specifics.

In speaking of Wallen, Michelle said, “That is someone that I started to form a relationship with and heard him out, and he is black culture. He loves black culture.” The “V.S.O.P” singer went on to say, “But even loving black culture and a barbecue, that’s still something that’s sensitive to my people to everything. No matter how cool you are. It’s not a cool thing; it’s a hurtful thing.”

The ‘Jesus And Whiskey’ Singer Says Black People Weren’t Upset About Morgan Wallen

Michelle continued this section of the interview by discussing the repercussions Wallen faced following his 2021 use of the N-Word being captured on video. First, she noted how he wasn’t allowed to submit his music to the Grammys.

However, it seems the singer was mistaken, as it was the Academy of Country Music that barred him from submitting his music for consideration. He simply didn’t score any Grammy nominations for that album cycle despite its success.

Regarding black people’s response to the controversy, she claimed, “But we don’t even know who he is, so we’re not fighting about it yet. That’s ya’ll doing this and putting it in our face.” She then said, “It wasn’t about us. That move on him and leaking that, it wasn’t about us.”

Still, the “RHOA” star feels people “needed to see it.” Toward the end of the clip, Michelle went on to recall Wallen inviting her to a concert and being made to feel uncomfortable with the way she was treated by other people at the concert and him reaching out to her after.

Then, she clarified her statements again, saying, “I’m not taking up for nobody saying the [N-Word], that’s not what I’m doing. I’m talking about the biases in just entertainment and in the world.”

Morgan Wallen Apologized In 2021

Wallen’s use of the N-Word stemmed from a January 2021 night out in Tennessee where the scene was captured by a neighbor’s doorbell camera. After that, TMZ published the video on February 2. In it, he could be seen using the racial slur with his group of friends.

According to The Wrap, Wallen issued multiple apologies after the incident made its way online. This includes his initial statements as well as a “long overdue” in-depth apology. At the time, he also advised his fans against defending him, saying, “I fully accept any penalties I’m facing.”

The ‘RHOA’ Star Announced Her New Album In July

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Michelle is a well-established R&B singer. However, over the years, she’s spoken openly about her love of country music. Now, she’s set to release her debut album in the genre, “Jesus and Whiskey,” on October 16. She released the album’s title track on July 30, along with the cover art.

The Nashville native told PEOPLE, “Being a Tennessee girl, [country] is my first genre of choice, and I was always told because of other reasons, I couldn’t sing that. When it came down to it, I am a country singer. It’s new to the world, but to everyone around me, they know it’s my whole life, so it’s time to do what it is I do, and I’m really excited about it.”

The Singer K. Michelle Defends Morgan Wallen Following His ‘Racist’ Past: ‘He Is Black Culture’ first appeared on The Blast