Morgan Wallen has donated $500,000 to the Red Cross for Hurricane Helene relief.
The East Tennessee native made the contribution via his Morgan Wallen Foundation, which receives three dollars from every concert ticket sold, according to Billboard.
Wallen also shared that his family in the area were safe in the wake of the Sept. 27 storm that devastated parts of Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina, leaving over 100 dead and many areas still unreachable due to washed-out roads. Some regions saw up to 30 inches of rain.
"My family in East Tennessee are safe, but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states," he wrote. "All my prayers are geared toward those tonight. Those hills and hollers are very important to me in so many ways. It is going to take a monumental effort, and I am in contact with my team and others working on ways I can help."
Earlier this year, Wallen entered the spotlight when the opening of his new Nashville bar, "This Bar," was delayed days after the city council rejected plans for a large floating sign featuring the country singer's name, citing past controversies, The Hill reported.
Initially scheduled to open during Memorial Day weekend, TC Restaurant Group announced the postponement shortly before the launch.
Days earlier, People reported that 30 council members voted against allowing the sign.
Delishia Porterfield, Nashville councilmember at large, noted Wallen's past, saying that she did not want to see a billboard with the name of a person "who's throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs, using the N-word, so I'm voting no."
Wallen was arrested on felony charges for reportedly throwing a chair from a Nashville rooftop bar earlier this year. In 2021, he drew widespread criticism after a video surfaced showing him using the racial slur.
Another Nashville council member, Jordan Huffman, seconded Porterfield's concerns, stating that Wallen "gives all of us a bad name."
In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for TC Restaurant Group said the delayed opening was not related to the city council's vote.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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