Eric Church Says Morgan Wallen’s Rooftop Antics Were “A Good Thing”

Morgan Wallen was arrested on April 7, 2024, for throwing a chair off of Eric Church's bar in downtown Nashville, Chief's. The chair landed in front of two police officers on the street below, and he was shortly arrested for three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of disorderly conduct.

In December 2024, Wallen pled guilty to the two misdemeanor counts and was sentenced to a week at a DUI diversion center, two years of probation, and a financial penalty.

Eric Church reacted to Wallen's incident and said in a recent interview with the LA Times, "Morgan called me from the street after it happened. I was watching college basketball, and he said, 'Hey, this just happened.' I said, 'Uh-oh.' I knew it was gonna be noisy, and it was — it was damn noisy. The next day on Fox News, the No. 1 story was Morgan throwing a chair, and No. 2 was Israel and Gaza. But you just kind of roll with it."

Church believes the incident was a turning point for Wallen, prompting personal growth and responsibility. He expressed pride in Wallen for taking accountability and making amends with the staff at Chief's.

"It was actually a good thing for Mo," Church said. "I think that was a line for him, and he’s done really well since then - it was a thing he’s reacted positively to as a person."

Chief's, located at 200 Broadway, opened in April 2024 and aims to differentiate itself from other venues on Nashville's Broadway by focusing on songwriter shows and emerging artists. Church emphasized,

"We're different than other places. Listen, it's been a roaring success — maybe the best bar down there. But we're leaning into songwriter shows and shows by upcoming artists versus being somewhere to hear "Friends in Low Places" and get blackout drunk. The biggest challenge is just trying to make sure that people know what it is when they walk in the room."

After the situation, Wallen returned his focus to his music career. Albums like I'm the Problem, which will be released on May 16, will be a welcome addition to his catalog, featuring features from Eric Church, Post Malone, and Tate McRae.

Eric Church released his new album, Evangeline vs. The Machine, on May 2, just in time for this year's tour; the album received strong reviews, with promotional marketing and tour support following its debut.