Scandal-plagued Morgan Wallen will have only partial eligibility at the 2021 CMA Awards

Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMA

This week, the Country Music Association shared its decision on the topic of Morgan Wallen‘s eligibility for the 2021 CMA Awards.

The embattled singer will qualify for some categories; specifically, he’s able to be nominated for any trophies that would also be awarded to those he collaborated with, such as songwriters, producers or other singers. Per Variety, a statement from the CMA clarifies that that means Morgan is eligible for nominations in the categories of Single, Song, Musical Event and Music Video of the Year, “so as not to limit opportunity for other credited collaborators.”

However, the statement continues, Morgan “will not be eligible in the individual artist categories (Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year categories.)”

In early February, Morgan was at the center of a scandal following the emergence of video footage that showed him shouting the n-word as he said goodnight to a carful of friends after a night of partying.

At the time, the singer was at the height of his career, having just put out his Dangerous: The Double Album, a successful project that would have made him a top contender at all the country awards shows of the year.

But in addition to other institutions such as his record label and country radio, awards shows blacklisted Morgan in the aftermath of the event. The ACM Awards, whose ballots went out shortly after the scandal erupted, removed him from consideration outright. He was deemed ineligible for next month’s CMT Music Awards as well.

He has not been invited to attend, perform or accept trophies at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards either, though he is a six-time finalist across nine categories due to his performance on Billboard charts. 

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