NASHVILLE — After a video surfaced in which country music star Morgan Wallen used a racial slur, Country Music Television has issued a stern rebuke, asking him to tone down his hateful speech to a more acceptable level.

“It’s come to our attention, Mr. Wallen, that you have chosen to say the quiet part out loud,” the company said in a written statement obtained by MNN. “We would ask that, in the future, you use more culturally acceptable verbiage.” 

The statement went on to suggest alternative language for Wallen to use. “Perhaps something like, ‘urban,’ ‘inner city,’ or ‘thug’ would adequately get your point across in a way that is more in line with country music’s current image,” the company wrote.

In the grainy video taken outside of the “Whiskey Glasses” singer’s home, Wallen can be heard saying, “take care of this p****-ass n*****” before heading inside. Wallen has since apologized for his remarks.

“I don’t have a racist bone in my body,” Wallen said. “In fact, some of my favorite liquor is brown.”

Read the full statement here.