Morgan Wallen snagged 3 Billboard Awards even after the show barred him for hurling a racial slur

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Morgan Wallen snagged 3 Billboard Awards even after the show barred him for hurling a racial slur
Morgan Wallen was filmed using a racial slur in Nashville, Tennessee.Jason Kempin/ACMA2020/Getty Images for ACM
  • Morgan Wallen has won three Billboard Music Awards - despite being barred from this year's show.
  • He was pulled from the show's lineup after he was recorded yelling a racial slur earlier this year.
  • The show's production company kept him on the list, however, for six nominations.
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Despite being barred from this year's show for hurling a racial slur, the country singer Morgan Wallen took home three top country-music awards at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday.

According to ET Online, Wallen won three prizes - top country artist, top country male artist, and top country album - for "Dangerous: The Double Album."

Wallen was caught on tape in February using the N-word during a night out in Nashville, Tennessee.

The video prompted radio stations owned by iHeartMedia, Entercom, and Cumulus Media to remove his songs from their playlists. His recording agency, Big Loud Records, also suspended his contract indefinitely.

Wallen later posted a video to Instagram in which he apologized for making the slur, but he was nonetheless barred from performing or presenting awards at this year's show.

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But that did not prevent the Billboard Music Awards from leaving Wallen in the running for six prizes, of which he won three.

Insider reported in April that Dick Clark Productions was opting to keep Wallen as a finalist but would not be inviting him to the show.

"Morgan Wallen is a finalist this year based on charting. As his recent conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting)," the production company said in a statement in April.

The statement added that Wallen was "taking steps in his anti-racist journey" and "starting to do some meaningful work."

"We plan to evaluate his progress and will consider his participation in future shows," the statement said.

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Other music awards organizations, however, have opted to curtail Wallen's eligibility at their awards shows. The Associated Press reported that the Academy of Country Music's board of directors voted to leave the singer off individual artist categories, such as entertainer of the year and male vocalist of the year, during this year's Country Music Awards.

Dick Clark Productions did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider on Wallen's wins and whether he would be included in future shows.

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