All About Morgan Wallen's Parents, Tommy and Lesli Wallen

Morgan Wallen was raised in Tennessee by music-loving parents

Morgan Wallen's parents, Tommy and Lesli Wallen, helped their son achieve country music success.

Tommy and Lesli wed in 1991 and went on to welcome four children, son Morgan and daughters Ashlyne, Mikaela and Lacey. The Wallen siblings were raised by Tommy, a preacher, and Lesli, an elementary school teacher, in the rural town of Sneedville, Tenn. The family later moved to Knoxville, where the three elder siblings attended high school.

Music was a mainstay in the Wallen household and Morgan’s family believed in his big dreams. "They never held me back, and they never made me feel crazy at all for doing this," he told The Boot in 2018. "That's been a blessing.”

Throughout the many highs and lows Morgan has experienced since breaking into the country music world in 2014, his parents have been by his side.

"Life is a crazy thing. I wouldn’t be anywhere without you both and the sacrifices you’ve made. I love you both so much,” Morgan wrote on Instagram after his parents joined him for a 2019 appearance on the Today show.

Related: Morgan Wallen's 3 Sisters: All About Ashlyne, Mikaela and Lacey

Here's everything to know about Morgan Wallen’s parents, Tommy and Lesli Wallen.

They have been married for over 30 years

Tommy and Lesli met in 1978 and tied the knot on Aug. 3, 1991.

“A beautiful story with 2 beautiful people. Never change you two,” Morgan wrote on Instagram to honor his parent’s 25th wedding anniversary in 2016. “The biggest influences in my life and I would be nothing without em both (literally and figuratively lol). Dad, I'm kinda mad I never known you with the mullet and stache. Mom, you're just as pretty today as you were on your wedding day. I love you both dearly.”

Related: All About Morgan Wallen's Son Indigo Wilder

Morgan has opened up about how he wishes he could have the same love story as his parents, especially as he co-parents his son Indigo Wilder with his ex-girlfriend, Katie "KT" Smith.

“I wanted to have a family like my parents. My parents are still together, you know,” he told PEOPLE in 2021. “They raised [me and my sisters] together. That was my idea of what my life would look like. That's not the way it turned out."

They raised their kids in rural Tennessee before moving to Knoxville

Tommy and Lesli’s oldest child and only son is Morgan, born in May 1993. They welcomed daughters Ashlyne and Mikaela in January 1995 and September 1996, respectively. The trio was raised in Sneedville, where Tommy was a church pastor and Lesli was a teacher.

The Wallens later relocated to Knoxville, Tenn., where Morgan, Ashlyne and Mikaela attended high school. Lacey joined the family through foster care and was formally adopted by the Wallens in 2021.

Lesli retired from teaching in June 2023, writing on Instagram that she was “not done,” just “taking a little break then career number 2!”

Though Morgan’s touring schedule takes him all over the world, he relishes stops in Tennessee, telling The Boot, "It's always good to get back home and see the people you love and get to spend time with your family on top of playing your music.”

Morgan dedicated a song to his mom

The country music star has a slew of hit songs, including “Whiskey Glasses,” “Last Night” and “You Proof,” and one of his biggest, "Thought You Should Know,” is dedicated to his mom.

Released in May 2022, the song is a direct address to Morgan’s mom thanking her for her care and love over the years.

“This one’s for you mama. I know it didn’t always seem like those prayers were getting through. I Hope this song is a testament to the fact that they did,” Morgan wrote on Instagram.

The accompanying music video featured home videos of Morgan and Lesli interspersed with what appeared to be Morgan singing the song in an empty room, only to later reveal that Lesli was there for the performance. At the end of the video, the two share a sweet hug.

Co-written with Miranda Lambert and Nicolle Galyon, “Thought You Should Know” became Lambert's first No. 1 hit as a songwriter. The “Tin Man” singer posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she was “proud to be a writer on a song about your mama!"

They are grandparents

Tommy and Lesli have three grandchildren, with one more on the way.

In addition to Morgan’s son, Indigo, Mikaela has two daughters — she welcomed Haven Rose on July 7, 2015, and Kehlani Lauren on Jan. 5, 2023. Ashlyne is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Skylor Morton, in the summer of 2024.

Morgan wants to raise his son with the same values his parents shared with him.

"I just hope to give him as sound advice as my parents gave me and show him love and let him know that I'm here for him and that I'm his friend," he told PEOPLE in 2021. "I'm here to help, and I'm here to guide. I'm just gonna try to do the best I can."

Morgan's famous mullet paid homage to his dad

Though Morgan has since chopped off his famous mullet, the roots of the haircut dug deep.

“When my dad was my age, he had a mullet, and I wanted to try it,” Morgan told PEOPLE in 2019. “I went back home to my parents’ house for a holiday, and I ended up looking at photo albums, just trying to take a trip down memory lane. When they got married, my dad had a mullet. Me and my dad are very similar people — he’s one of my best friends — so I was like, ‘Man, if Dad could do it, I will do it.' ”

The mullet-and-mustache combo became his signature look, but during his August 2023 show in Columbus, Ohio, Morgan revealed a bald head and upper lip. In a fan-captured TikTok video, the Tennessee-born artist can be heard telling the crowd, “Before we get any further, I didn’t like my long hair anymore, so I shaved it off."

Music was always a part of the Wallen household

Music was a constant in the Wallen family home. Morgan told The Nash News that “everything was music” for his mom, including how she taught her kids the 50 states. The performer and his siblings sang in the church choir and Lesli signed Morgan up for The Voice, which he appeared on in 2014.

“My mom recognized that I was musical even at a young age,” Morgan told Nashville Lifestyles in 2021. “She said I asked for a violin when I was five years old for Christmas and that’s what they got me.”

During a 2022 Nashville concert, Morgan told the crowd he would write songs on the workout bench in his parents’ garage.

“I’d write a song then go in while my momma was cookin’ dinner or something and play it for her,” he said onstage, per his website. “I have to give my mom credit, she didn’t always tell me I was good, which I appreciated.”

Morgan has made singing a family affair. His sister, Ashlyne, sings harmony on “Outlook,” a track off 2023’s One Thing at a Time.

“We’ve always been super, super tight. We grew up in church singing hymns and stuff and learning how to harmonize with each other and sing three-part harmony,” Morgan told Billboard in 2023.

They support their son

Lesli frequently posts photos from Morgan’s gigs and both she and Tommy have been spotted cheering their son on at live shows.

Morgan's mom is also known to share headlines on her Instagram like when Morgan became the first artist with three songs simultaneously on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 2022. Lesli also shared a video of herself watching her son be named male artist of the year at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards.

“We are so proud of you! You deserved it and much much more! We love you!!” Lesli wrote on the ACM post.

Morgan’s parents have also joined him for red carpet events. Lesli was Morgan's date to the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, and both she and Tommy were in attendance for the 15th Annual Academy of Country Music Honors in Nashville that same year.

Morgan is just as proud of his parents as they are of him. He shared a video of himself on Facebook, introducing his parents to the crowd and blowing them a kiss during a February 2019 performance in New York City. Morgan described the experience as “one of the coolest moments of my life so far.”

They received an apology from their son after Morgan’s controversies

In February 2021, Morgan was caught on video returning to his home after a night out, where he used a racist slur to describe one of his companions. After the clip was obtained by TMZ, the fallout included the suspension of Morgan's record label contract, removal of his songs from radio airplay and disqualification from the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Shortly after the scandal, Morgan posted an apology. He later checked into a 30-day rehab center in San Diego and donated approximately $500,000 to organizations, including the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC).

”I let so many people down. I let my parents down, and they're the furthest thing from the person in that video. I let my son down, and I'm not okay with that,” he wrote in his apology.

Morgan had previously faced two controversies in 2020. In May, he was arrested in Nashville on public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges. Then in October, Saturday Night Live rescinded their invitation for Morgan to perform after he broke COVID-19 protocols by attending a crowded party. In an Instagram apology video, he called his behavior “short-sighted," per Entertainment Tonight.

The country singer was invited back to the show in December 2020 and starred in a sketch with host Jason Bateman that spoofed his partying.

Most recently, Morgan was arrested on three felony charges after allegedly throwing a chair off the roof of a six-story bar on Broadway in Nashville on April 7, 2024. He is due in court in Nashville on May 3 for "settlement."

Morgan’s parents have stood by his side through everything, with Lesli sharing numerous supportive social media posts. “I love this imperfect human so much,” she captioned a Billboard photo of Morgan in February 2021.

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