She can’t catch a break.
A few weeks ago, Morgan Wallen released his monster, 37-song album I’m The Problem, which has dominated the charts and remained at #1 on the Hot 100 for the two weeks since it has been out, and will likely stay there for a third straight week. The album debuted at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 album chart, and landed 6 songs in the top 10 of the all-genre Hot 100 upon its release. It also claimed all 10 spots in the top 10 of the Hot Country Songs chart, the first time an artist has swept the top 10 spots.
It features several collaborations with his friends, and also his first ever duet with a female artist on “What I Want,” which has guest vocals from Canadian pop star Tate McRae. That has been the early runaway hit, and it landed on the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart upon debut (which consists of singles, rather than the album as a whole). Morgan had six songs from the record debut within the top 10, and “What I Want” is Morgan’s fourth Hot 100 chart topper and McRae’s first, though some of her fans didn’t seem too thrilled about it.
Of course, scoring a hit like that is a dream for pretty much any artist, and it’s a huge accomplishment when it finally happens… one of those “you made it” moments that they’ll remember forever. I mean, what kind of person who makes music for a living doesn’t want to have the top song in all of music? It’s huge, especially if you’re a mainstream, very commercial artist like McRae.
Morgan credits his sister for turning him on to Tate’s music, but the song itself was written by Morgan and Tate along with Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ryan Vojtesak, John Byron and Joe Reeves, and honestly, I thought was pretty forgettable in terms of it getting lost among the rest of the 37 songs. I didn’t really like it that much, but clearly I’m in the minority and plenty of others are loving it. When the collab between Tate and Morgan was first announced, some online were not happy to learn that she was working with Morgan, calling her all kinds of names because of some of Morgan’s past controversies.
Keep in mind, this is all coming from people online (I guess they’re her fans?), though the sentiment of their anger seems to remain, and they’re once again coming for her online. A new video has gone viral from a concert McRae performed in Hamburg, Germany, yesterday where she waved a pride flag in honor of June being pride month, as she exited the stage to cheers from thousands of fans:
🏳️🌈| Tate McRae waving a pride flag at the end of her show in Hamburg, Germany!#MPTHamburg #MissPossessiveTour pic.twitter.com/CM6T2CUBYd
— Tate McRae Tour & Updates (@t8mcraetours) June 3, 2025
But the video has received a TON of backlash online, going viral after a fan account shared it on X, with thousands of fans coming for her once again, calling her fake for trying to represent the LGBTQIA+ community after so recently working with Morgan. Many made absolutely baseless claims that Morgan is “homophobic,” though he’s never spoken about anything relayed to this topic publicly, and certainly never said anything negative regarding it.
Recently, he appeared on Caleb Pressley’s Sundae Conversations show, a comedy interview show where Caleb asks guests outlandish questions, and when asked if he was “gay” because he has remained single for so long, Morgan said he has nothing against people who are. Obviously, the question was a joke, but Morgan seemed sincere in his response:
Interviewer asks Morgan Wallen if he’s gay. https://t.co/XVwmMAOHrj
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 12, 2025
But despite there being ZERO evidence linking Morgan Wallen to anything that could be perceived as homophobia, or really any political views for that matter, ignorant Tate McRae fans won’t have any of it… they absolutely ripped her to shreds in the comments:
No shade but didn’t she collab with a homophobic man few days ago? https://t.co/gRkU2bl0TC
— danny 💫 (@dannyyystar) June 4, 2025
Most insincere act I’ve ever seen. You can’t release a song with POS Morgan Wallen and pretend to be an ally. It doesn’t work like that https://t.co/N8qRinkuS2
— Underwhelmed Mets Fan (@TheeCalzoneZone) June 4, 2025
as if she didn’t just collab with a known homophobe girl please
— 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 | 🕊️ (@positionsmafiaa) June 4, 2025
She’s beating those Trumpie allegations one at a time! 😭
— steven ☀️ (@arianaunext) June 4, 2025
for her maga gays ❤️
— tophia • spread kindness (@tophiaslaydell) June 4, 2025
didnt she collab with morgan wallen a month ago?🤠
— Carly Woodall (@CarlyWoodall3) June 4, 2025
Still worked with a homophobe so we don’t care
— Lu (@galindathegay) June 4, 2025
She can put the flag down, I didnt forget who she was cuddled up with a few weeks ago
— Brachiology🦕 | IM SO ATL (@hotdgflvrdwtr) June 4, 2025
She is not an ally. It’s baiting. She’s aligned with Morgan Wallen and is anti-gay.
— Chris Gensch (@ChrisGensch) June 4, 2025
as if she didn’t just collab with a known homophobe girl please
— 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 | 🕊️ (@positionsmafiaa) June 4, 2025
There’s a lot more comments like that…
Obviously, Morgan has a TON of fans, and this is likely just a loud minority of ignorant, deceitful people who feel this way. But if nothing else, it illustrates the toxic power of social media narratives and how people, particularly on the far left of the political spectrum, are quick to brand people as racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-this, anti-that… insert whatever negative trait your want, simply because they disagree with them or don’t like them. Morgan surely hasn’t been a saint, but can we even try to the tell the truth anymore?
Either way, the song is a massive crossover hit and will likely remain on the Hot 100 for weeks, months or even longer. Tate won’t lose sleep over it.
“What I Want”
