Morgan Wallen Was Never The Same After Becoming A Dad To Son Indigo Wilder

Morgan Wallen has become a country music legend, and he attributes his growth as a person to his son. Long before fatherhood, he got his first taste of fame on "The Voice" in 2015, and although he didn't win that year's competition, he has built an impressive career since his initial debut. In 2022, Wallen won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Wallen's album, "Dangerous: The Double Album," shattered Billboard's record for the longest-standing solo album in their Top Ten list and garnered him that honor.

Wallen's achievement, while notable, was shrouded in quiet judgment. As The Hollywood Reporter laid out, Wallen's triumphant win came a year after he was barred from attending and participating in the show's ceremony, in addition to other steep career consequences. This stemmed from a video of Wallen using a racial slur that made the rounds online. In February 2021, TMZ posted a video of Wallen saying the N-word while hanging out with his friends, captured by one of his neighbors. Wallen apologized, but you know, the internet is forever. As a result, several of Wallen's celeb peers called him out over not just this scandal but several of his other well-documented public blemishes. 

With that said, Wallen has since professed to being a "changed man," and he's piled all of the credit on his son, Indigo.

Morgan Wallen has one child, a little boy named Indigo Wilder. He was born on July 13, 2020. In May 2022, Morgan Wallen shared that becoming a father has helped him to become a better person. "I think mostly I can attribute it to being a dad," Wallen said about his journey with ET. "Just seeing that I have another life that I'm responsible for kind of put things into perspective for me, so, I just didn't really have a choice." Although Indigo was born months before Wallen's racial slur scandal, the singer shared a similar mindset when introducing the child to his 5.5 million followers. "Little Wilder, I'm a changed man," posted Wallen to Instagram in 2020. "Since you came into the world Friday, I see mine differently now. It's not just me anymore, and I'm glad it's not. This year has been the hardest of my life in so many ways, but that's not what I will remember it by. You are. You are a gift and this tough year just made sense." 

Given the timeline, Wallen was likely referring to his arrest that took place at Kid Rock's restaurant. According to AP News, Wallen was charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication on May 24, 2020 — roughly two months before Indigo's birth. 

It's been about a year since Morgan Wallen spoke of the positive impact his son, Indigo Wilder, was having on his choices. So, has he managed to actually uphold the standard he wants to reach for his son? Lasting change takes time and discipline, but so far, Wallen has managed to avoid adding any additional scandals to his lengthy list. In fact, Morgan's most recent bout of negative news is completely unrelated to his personal behavior. Unfortunately, Wallen has had to postpone his upcoming tour due to a vocal chord injury, per CNN. He's also not performing at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, where he's up for four awards, including the highly-coveted trophy for entertainer of the year.

While Wallen's fans are sure to be bummed out, Wallen's current schedule should allow for more quality time with his son. In 2021, Wallen spoke about the difficulties of balancing his unconventional career with parenting a small child. "I'll probably have to hire a nanny or do something because I know that sometimes I'm not going to be able always to be as hands-on as I need to be," Wallen shared with People. "I still want to be as much a part of his life as I can, but I have obligations to fulfill to take care of him ...  I'm going to do the best I can to ensure that everything is as good as possible."