Morgan Wallen has sparked widespread attention after a video showed him taking a security guard’s phone and tossing it aside during a concert. He has also responded to criticism surrounding the cancellation of a recent show over forecasts of dangerous weather that ultimately never arrived.

The country music star attracted attention during his performance in Pittsburgh on Friday night (June 5) when he unexpectedly threw a security worker’s phone while on stage.

Footage that quickly spread online shows Wallen performing at Acrisure Stadium on his ‘Still The Problem’ tour. During the show, he appeared to notice a security guard recording the performance with her phone raised above her head while working.

The videos show Wallen performing near the guard before walking away to interact with another section of the crowd. Moments later, he returned, took the phone from her hand, and tossed it toward the side of the stage.

The incident followed another memorable moment from earlier in the tour when Wallen tipped over a piano during a performance after what appeared to be technical difficulties.

Wallen had originally been scheduled to perform two nights in Pittsburgh, with the first concert taking place on Friday and a second planned for Saturday (June 6). However, the second show was cancelled only hours before fans were due to enter the venue.

Around 1pm local time on Saturday, the singer announced that the concert would not go ahead after being warned about the possibility of “severe adverse weather conditions expected throughout the rest of the day and night”.

According to Wallen, the decision was unavoidable and was made because “safety for my fans and crew is the highest priority”.

Although storms moved through the region earlier in the afternoon at approximately 3pm, the weather improved significantly before the scheduled 8pm start time. As a result, some fans criticised the decision and questioned whether the cancellation had been necessary.

“Morgan Wallen cancelling his show last night is just hilarious because I walked outside after my shift at 11pm and my car was completely dry. no rain in sight,” one user wrote on X.

Other concertgoers also shared images showing calm conditions outside the venue around the time Wallen would have been expected to take the stage.

Following the criticism, Wallen released a statement explaining that he stood behind the decision and emphasised that fan safety remained the driving factor behind the cancellation.

“This morning, my team walked on my bus, told me that they had been consulting with local officials, and that I should cancel my show in Pittsburgh tonight. And I said, ‘Why?’ They said that there was going to be strong winds in the area. And I said, ‘OK’,” he explained.

“So that’s what I did, and that was the information I had in the moment, and I trusted my team.”

He acknowledged that “that wind and whatever else hasn’t gotten to Pittsburgh yet” but noted that severe conditions had affected other parts of Pennsylvania, leading him to take a cautious approach.

“The truth of the matter is I have a large stage that, in those conditions, could become fatal to a lot of folks around it. So I did the best I could with the information I had in that moment,” he continued.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of nonsense about me that is simply not true, and I just wanted to clear the air. I think my true fans know that that’s not how I operate in general, but I had to say it.”

During the Pittsburgh concert that went ahead on Friday evening, Wallen surprised the audience by bringing out former WWE star and Olympic gold medallist Kurt Angle. The ‘Still The Problem’ tour is scheduled to continue later this month with performances in Chicago.

Elsewhere, Wallen recently revealed that he has avoided visiting bars for more than a year following his arrest for throwing a chair from the rooftop of a bar. The incident resulted in three reckless endangerment charges and one count of disorderly conduct.

His latest album, ‘I’m The Problem’, arrived last year and included collaborations with Tate McRae, Eric Church, Hardy, Ernest, and Post Malone.