Officers reviewed video showing Wallen “lunging and throwing an object over the roof” of Chief’s bar, a new honky tonk in Nashville’s entertainment district, according to an arrest report obtained by WTVF. He was seen laughing after the incident, according to witnesses described in the report.
Wallen “is cooperating fully with authorities,” his attorney Worrick Robinson said in a brief statement.
Chief’s, which just opened last week, is a venture from Wallen’s friend and fellow country superstar Eric Church. (It’s a few blocks from where Wallen has plans to open his own downtown Nashville bar later this year.) Church and Wallen recently went into business together when they teamed up to buy the Field & Stream retail brand and relaunch the print magazine.
Wallen has exploded into mainstream popularity over the last few years, with 2023’s “One Thing at a Time” and 2021’s “Dangerous” topping Billboard charts and setting records. But his rise has been accompanied by a series of public incidents.
He was arrested at a different Nashville bar for disorderly conduct in 2020. Wallen issued a public apology afterward, then released a photo of himself smiling next to the bar’s owner, Kid Rock.
Wallen apologized again after social media videos showed him partying without a mask in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, an incident that briefly disrupted his plans to perform on “Saturday Night Live.”
His career looked to be in serious jeopardy for a time in early 2021, after TMZ published footage of Wallen calling a friend the n-word outside his home. Wallen’s record label swiftly suspended him, he was banned from awards shows, and hundreds of radio stations dropped his music.
But the singer’s career recovered after he issued a statement to “sincerely apologize for using the word” and promised to “do better.” When The Washington Post covered the launch of Wallen’s headlining tour a year after the scandal, many fans were eager to forgive him, if they thought he needed forgiveness at all.
It wasn’t immediately clear what penalties Wallen could face after Monday’s arrest. He was released after posting a $15,250 bond, according to WTVF. The station noted that his next court appearance is set for May 3, the same day he is scheduled to play at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
Emily Yahr contributed to this report.
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
