One of Morgan Wallen‘s country music heroes is finally addressing the singer’s racial slur controversy.
In February, TMZ posted a video that showed Morgan, 27, saying the N-word and other expletives while returning from a night out with friends in Nashville. Now, in an interview with Billboard, posted on Thursday, April 1, Eric Church was asked about Morgan’s behavior in the video.
“That was indefensible,” the 43-year-old musician said. “I was heartbroken when it happened. I think Morgan’s trying to work on that and on himself. And I hope he does.”
Billboard reported that Eric, who Morgan has dubbed one of his musical heroes and who co-wrote the track “Quittin’ Time” on his hit new album Dangerous: The Double Album, sent the fellow country star a note telling him he was praying for him and to keep “hanging in there.”
Soon following an online backlash, Morgan apologized in a statement and again in a video message on Instagram, saying that the TMZ footage of him was filmed at the end of a 72-hour bender and that he has since been sober for nine days.