Country artist Morgan Wallen has been disqualified from singing or receiving any recognition during the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards, the organization announced Wednesday, as the star continues to face backlash for a viral video showing him throwing a racial insult in front of friends.
The first round of voting for the awards show, which is due to air on April 18, has already ended. Wallen’s name will be removed from the second round of voting for the contest, which is set to open on February 10, according to the ACM.
“Country Music Academy will stop Morgan Wallen’s involvement and potential eligibility for 56 this yeara Country Music Academy Awards Cycle ” a statement from the Academy is read.
“The academy does not accept or support intolerance or behavior that does not align with our commitment and dedication to diversity and inclusion.”
ACM, which hosts the smaller of the two major country music awards behind the November Country Music Association Awards, has also announced that it will remove all of Wallen’s digital content from its website.
The 27-year-old won the CMA award for “Best New Artist” last year.
Wallen was also suspended “indefinitely” by the record label earlier Wednesday after TMZ first reported a video showing the Tennessee native saying the word N after a night of drinking in Nashville.
Its radio broadcast was a major hit this week after the scandal – it dropped nearly 80 percent after iHeartRadio and Cumulus Media, the country’s two largest radio stations, instructed their stations to stop playing Wallen’s music, according to a Variety report.
Wallen apologized for the incident on Wednesday, calling his actions “unacceptable and inappropriate.”
“I am just ashamed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial insult that I wish I could take back, “he said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “There is no excuse to ever use this kind of language. I sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better. “
It remains unclear whether Wallen will be excluded from future awards shows, including this year’s CMA awards.