Over the past few years, Morgan Wallen has become one of the biggest names in not only country music but music in general, taking the 30-year-old to a level of fame so massive it’s required him to change the way he goes about his daily life.
How Morgan Wallen Navigates Life-Altering Fame
In a new interview with Billboard, Wallen reflected on how his life has changed in recent years, sharing that he can no longer go about his day normally without attracting attention.
“Everything has gotten so, so huge,” he said. “I don’t really go to the grocery store [and] I have to go through back doors to go to the doctor and all that kind of stuff [and] I still try to hold on to as much [normalcy] as possible [and] I like driving, so I try to drive as much as I can by myself.”
Wallen’s interview was conducted after the singer had washed off camouflage face paint from a deer hunting session, though he revealed that he sometimes leaves it on to “sneak around, just wherever I can go, maybe a Mexican restaurant.”
The East Tennessee native added that he sometimes feels hurt when old friends don’t invite him to events, though he acknowledged how distracting his presence can sometimes be. “I play my shows, I hang out with my son, [Indie, 3], and I hide pretty much,” he said. “And I’m OK with that. I’m happy as hell with that.”
HARDY Talks Morgan Wallen‘s New Lifestyle
Wallen’s good friend and frequent collaborator HARDY told Billboard that when he and Wallen want to have some fun, they now stick to private areas like backstage rather than risking public eyes and camera phones.
“In the last couple of years, he handles himself so much differently out on the road,” HARDY said of Wallen. “He protects himself from situations that might get him in hot water.”
In May 2020, Wallen was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct following a disruption at Kid Rock’s Nashville bar and disinvited from performing on Saturday Night Live a few months later after he violated the show’s COVID-19 safety protocols in videos shared by fans on social media. In early 2021, a neighbor of Wallen’s shared a video with TMZ of the singer using a racial slur.
“He doesn’t go out to bars,” HARDY continued. “If there’s a good time to be had, we have it backstage, where we’re safe and where f–king people aren’t videoing and trying to get a rise out of somebody. We will still have the same amount of fun, but we do it in an environment [without] the public eye on us anymore. It sucks that you can’t really do it that other way, but you just can’t when you get Morgan Wallen famous.”
Can Morgan Wallen Go To Walmart?
Wallen previously discussed his new level of fame with Bridge Magazine in an interview where he was asked if he can still go to Walmart, to which he promptly replied, “Hell, no!”
“I don’t go too many places without Cody,” Wallen said, presumably referring to his security guard. “So that part’s different.”
The “Last Night” singer noted that his hometown of Sneedville, Tennessee has a population of just a couple of thousand people, and that he “wasn’t conditioned to do this by any means.” However, Wallen admits, “It’s something I feel like I was called to do, like I’m supposed to be here.” He continued, “I don’t feel bright-eyed anymore. I feel like I have a responsibility to do something for this genre and for myself and my family. I try to make the most of it.”
