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Justin Bieber Apologizes for Supporting Morgan Wallen: 'I Had No Idea' About Racial Slur Scandal

Justin Bieber and Morgan Wallen
Justin Bieber and Morgan Wallen

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Justin Bieber is retracting his support for controversial country singer Morgan Wallen.

On Wednesday, Bieber shared a photo of Wallen's album Dangerous: The Double Album on his Instagram Story, writing: "Love this album." The pop star, 27, quickly received backlash for giving the album a shoutout, in light of Wallen's use of the N-word earlier this year.

Shortly after, Bieber deleted the original slide and issued an apology on his Instagram Story, writing that he was unaware of the controversy.

"I had no idea that the guy's music I posted was recently found saying racist comments, as you know I don't support or tolerate any sort of racism or discrimination," Bieber wrote. "I had no idea, I sincerely apologize to anyone I offended."

In another slide, he continued, opening up about his own experiences.

"When I was a kid, I was incredibly ignorant and said some very hurtful racist jokes that were clearly not funny," Bieber said. "I hurt a lot of people especially the Black people in my life but was fortunate enough to have had them educate me on the horrifying origin of the N-word. This brings those painful memories back up, I will always take ownership for my ignorance and my past because I know I am not that person."

"I know that I have apologized for this before but knowing this is such a sensitive issue, I believe it's important to bring this up to hopefully educate people who may be ignorant to the topic of racism and how hurtful it is."

The "Peaches" singer concluded by writing that he has "so much more to learn" and was grateful to his "Black brothers and sisters for being patient."

"I have a long way to go," Bieber said.

Justin Bieber Apologizes for Supporting Morgan Wallen
Justin Bieber Apologizes for Supporting Morgan Wallen

Justin Bieber/Instagram

RELATED: Maren Morris, Mickey Guyton and More Country Stars React to Morgan Wallen Saying the N-Word

Back in February, Wallen, 28, was captured on video arriving at his house drunk after a night out. In the clip, he used a racial slur to describe one of his companions.

The clip was obtained by TMZ, prompting Wallen to issue an apology amid the fallout — which included the suspension of his record label contract, removal from radio airplay and disqualification from the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards.

At the time, Wallen apologized, saying: "I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better."

RELATED: Morgan Wallen Joins Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Tyler Hubbard for Songs and Shots in Surprise Arena Appearance

In July, he revealed during an interview on Good Morning America that he checked into a rehabilitation center after the incident.

"For 30 days, I spent some time out in San Diego, California, you know, just trying to figure it out ... Why am I acting this way? Do I have an alcohol problem?" he said. "Do I have a deeper issue?"

Of the video, Wallen said he and his friends "say dumb stuff together" and "in our minds, it's playful. That sounds ignorant, but that's really where it came from, and it's wrong." Wallen also clarified he was "clearly drunk."

RELATED VIDEO: Morgan Wallen Says There Are 'No Excuses' After Video Surfaces of Singer Using the N-Word

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Wallen also explained that since "there was a spike in my sales" for his album after the controversy made headlines, he and his team "tried to calculate ... how much it actually spiked from this incident" and "got to a number somewhere around $500,000, and we decided to donate that money to some organizations," including the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC).

Just a few days after his GMA appearance, the embattled country singer appeared back on stage at a Luke Bryan concert alongside fellow country stars Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard. The four men took a shot of tequila together before Bryan, Aldean, and Hubbard sat down to give Wallen the spotlight.

The moment was Wallen's most significant return to any stage since the February scandal.