Morgan Wallen has been arrested three times, all in the Nashville area: a January 2016 DUI, a May 2020 public intoxication arrest outside a Broadway bar, and an April 2024 felony reckless endangerment arrest after he threw a chair from a six-story rooftop. None of the three produced a lasting criminal conviction, though the 2024 case put him on two years of supervised probation.
January 2016: DUI
Nashville police arrested Wallen on January 18, 2016, on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. It happened years before he became a country star. Prosecutors later dropped the charge, and the case no longer appears on government websites; an employee at the Davidson County Court Clerk’s office told reporters the most likely reason is expungement.1Taste of Country. Morgan Wallen 2016 DUI Arrest
May 2020: Public Intoxication at Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk
On the night of May 23, 2020, security guards at Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk on Lower Broadway ejected Wallen for kicking glass items inside the bar, and police arrested him outside.2WKRN. Country Artist Morgan Wallen Arrested After Incident at Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk The arrest affidavit said officers smelled alcohol and that Wallen refused multiple chances to leave with friends, instead getting into verbal confrontations with passersby.3People. Morgan Wallen Arrested on Public Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct Charges He was charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct and released on a $500 bond early the next morning.
Wallen later described the night as “horse-playing” with friends after visiting several bars.4iHeartRadio. Morgan Wallen Arrested for Public Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct Prosecutors dropped both charges.5Rolling Stone. Morgan Wallen SNL COVID Apology
April 2024: Chair Thrown From a Rooftop Bar
The most serious arrest happened on the night of April 7, 2024. Wallen threw a chair from the rooftop of Chief’s, a six-story honky-tonk on Broadway owned by fellow country star Eric Church that had opened days earlier.6ABC News. Morgan Wallen Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Charges in Chair-Throwing Case Security footage showed him picking up the chair, hurling it over the edge, and laughing.7WSMV. Bar References Morgan Wallen’s Nashville Arrest The chair landed roughly three feet from two Metro Nashville police officers patrolling the street below. No one was injured.
Wallen was booked on three felony counts of reckless endangerment (two involving the officers and one involving the general public) and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.8Courthouse News Service. Country Star Morgan Wallen Sentenced in Chair-Throwing Case He posted a $12,500 bond and was released.7WSMV. Bar References Morgan Wallen’s Nashville Arrest
The Plea Deal
On December 12, 2024, Wallen appeared in Davidson County Circuit Court before Judge Cynthia Chappell and entered a conditional guilty plea to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment under Tennessee’s Diversion Statute, which does not result in a formal conviction.9Billboard. Morgan Wallen Pleads Guilty to Two Misdemeanor Charges The remaining felony reckless endangerment count and the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge were dismissed.10CNN. Morgan Wallen Sentenced
His sentence: seven days at a DUI education center, two years of supervised probation, and a $350 fine plus court fees.11DC News Now. Morgan Wallen Is Sentenced in Chair-Throwing Case If he completes probation, the charges are eligible for dismissal and expungement.6ABC News. Morgan Wallen Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Charges in Chair-Throwing Case Davidson County court records list case No. 2024-I-687 as closed, with the disposition recorded as “judgment deferred — no conviction.”12Nashville Criminal Court Clerk. Criminal History Search – Morgan Wallen As of April 2025, Wallen said he had not set foot in a bar since the arrest.13People. Eric Church on Morgan Wallen Arrest
Controversies That Were Not Arrests
Two of Wallen’s most talked-about incidents are often lumped in with his arrests but did not involve one. In February 2021, TMZ published neighbor-shot footage of Wallen shouting a racial slur outside his Nashville home; the fallout included a suspended record contract, radio removals, and being dropped by his booking agency, but he was not arrested or charged.14Billboard. Morgan Wallen Timeline: Racial Slur Video In October 2020, *Saturday Night Live* pulled his scheduled appearance after TikTok videos showed him partying maskless in Tuscaloosa in violation of the show’s COVID-19 protocols; that too was a professional consequence, not a criminal one.15NPR. SNL Nixes Morgan Wallen Appearance After Singer Violates COVID-19 Safety Protocols