“They Tried To Bury Him Alive” — Jason Aldean Blasts Industry Hypocrisy As He Reveals How Morgan Wallen Survived A Nationwide Radio Ban And Let Fans Decide His Fate. Jason Aldean is exposing the “silent fear” that gripped Nashville when Morgan Wallen was blacklisted. He blasts the industry’s attempt to bury a star, revealing why he stood by him while others stayed silent—and how the fans ultimately proved the boardrooms wrong.

The More They Try to Bury Him, the Stronger He Rises” — Jason Aldean Slams Industry Double Standards Over Morgan Wallen’s “Blacklisting”

In the high-stakes world of Nashville, loyalty is often a rare commodity, especially when a scandal breaks. But for Jason Aldean, watching the industry-wide “erasure” of Morgan Wallen in 2021 was a turning point that exposed a deep-seated hypocrisy. As radio stations pulled Wallen’s tracks and award shows scrubbed his name from ballots, Aldean became one of the few voices to publicly decry what he saw as a glaring double standard. While the “Nashville machine” attempted to distance itself from the “Whiskey Glasses” singer, Aldean stood firm, arguing that the fans—not the boardrooms—should be the ones to decide an artist’s fate.

The 2021 Blacklist: A Genre Divided

In February 2021, after a video surfaced of Wallen using a racial slur, the industry’s response was swift and absolute. iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media pulled his music from over 1,000 stations, and Big Loud Records suspended his contract. During this period, Aldean observed a “silent fear” among his peers, noting that many artists were afraid to speak out for fear of being “canceled” themselves. Aldean, however, famously joined Wallen on stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena just months later. “There was a small group of us that had Morgan’s back when everybody else was beating up on him,” Aldean told Billboard, emphasizing that true friendship means helping someone get back on their feet rather than stepping on them.

The Audience Vote and the “Double Standard”

Aldean has been vocal about the perceived hypocrisy in how the industry handles controversy, noting that Wallen was being “buried” while other artists with checkered pasts were often given a pass. However, the attempt to silence Wallen backfired. Despite the ban, his Dangerous: The Double Album spent 10 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200. Fans revolted against what they felt was an “excessive” punishment, with Wallen’s sales actually spiking by over 100% in the wake of the ban. Aldean pointed out that Wallen has since gone “global,” bringing unprecedented attention and revenue to the genre that the industry tried to lock him out of.

The 2024-2025 Redemption Arc

The prediction that Wallen would only grow stronger has been proven correct by a massive “redemption” tour. In November 2024, Wallen won the CMA’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, though he notably skipped the ceremony—a move some interpreted as a final statement to the industry that once shunned him. By May 2025, Wallen launched his 19-stadium I’m the Problem Tour and released a new album of the same name, which debuted at #1 and remained there for 12 non-consecutive weeks. He also launched the Sand in My Boots Festival in Alabama, a multi-genre event that drew a “more mature” and record-breaking crowd, further cementing his status as the genre’s dominant superstar.

A Legacy of Resilience

For Jason Aldean, the bond remains unbreakable. Whether performing together for their “songs and shots” segments or collaborating on chart-topping hits, Aldean views Wallen’s survival as a victory for the audience’s voice. He believes Wallen “quietly continued making music” until the world had no choice but to listen again. As of late 2025, Wallen’s record-breaking chart runs and stadium sell-outs serve as a permanent reminder to Nashville that while the industry may try to “bury” an artist, it is ultimately the fans who decide who stays in the ground and who rises to the top.