Morgan Wallen’s “20 Cigarettes” Hits His 20th Country Airplay No. 1

Morgan Wallen added another record to his growing list this week. “20 Cigarettes,” the seventh official single from his 2025 album I’m the Problem, climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart his twentieth career leader on that tally. The milestone arrives six weeks before Wallen opens his 2026 Still The Problem Tour, giving his stadium run one of the cleaner chart narratives in recent country music history.

According to Luminate data cited by Billboard, the song drew 32.7 million audience impressions in the tracking week of February 13–19 a 12% jump from the prior frame. It reached the summit in exactly 20 weeks, a coincidence that chart watchers noticed immediately.

Wallen is now the 13th act to collect 20 or more No. 1s since Country Airplay launched in January 1990. For context on just how dominant his run has been, the full Morgan Wallen artist profile tracks his rise from a first Gold certification in 2018 to becoming the most-certified country artist in RIAA history.

A Two-Album Record Nobody Has Done Before

“20 Cigarettes” is the sixth Country Airplay No. 1 from I’m the Problem, following “Lies Lies Lies,” “Love Somebody,” the title track, “Just in Case,” and “I Got Better.” According to Billboard, no artist had ever generated six Country Airplay leaders from two separate albums until Wallen did it with both of his last two projects.

His previous album, One Thing at a Time, produced six leaders of its own: “You Proof,” “Thought You Should Know,” “Last Night,” “Thinkin’ Bout Me,” “Man Made a Bar” (with Eric Church), and “Cowgirls” (with Ernest). Two more singles from that album reached the top 10 but not the summit. “Everything I Love” peaked at No. 3; the title track stalled at No. 8. Those remain his only top-10 singles that never claimed No. 1.

The only I’m the Problem single that did not reach the country radio summit was “What I Want,” his collaboration with pop singer Tate McRae. That track was steered toward pop formats and plateaued at No. 55 on Country Airplay, though it conquered the Billboard Hot 100. You can see the full scope of what I’m the Problem accomplished on the albums chart in the I’m the Problem Billboard record breakdown.

How These Singles Compared

Country Airplay is one of the slowest-moving charts Billboard publishes. Songs typically spend months building airplay before approaching the top. The average time to reach No. 1 among all leaders since Wallen first topped the chart in June 2018 sits at 31 weeks.

All six No. 1 singles from I’m the Problem reached the summit in 20 weeks or fewer. The fastest was “I Had Some Help” (featuring Post Malone), which debuted at No. 1 in just seven weeks — the quickest coronation in Wallen’s career. “I’m the Problem” and “Last Night” both hit No. 1 in 11 weeks, matching Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” for second-quickest that year.

“20 Cigarettes” took 20 weeks — slower by recent standards, but still 11 weeks ahead of average. The track is produced by Joey Moi and written by Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, Josh Miller, and Blake Pendergrass.

All 20 of Morgan Wallen’s Country Airplay No. 1s

Wallen’s 20 leaders span eight years and four albums. Here is the full list in alphabetical order:

Where Morgan Wallen Stands in Country History

Wallen now sits in a four-way tie for tenth on the all-time Country Airplay No. 1 list alongside Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, and Toby Keith. The gap to the leaders is real. Kenny Chesney tops the chart with 33 career rulers. Blake Shelton recently crossed 30, and Tim McGraw holds third with 29. At Wallen’s pace through I’m the Problem, closing that gap is not a distant possibility.

His wider chart profile goes beyond the radio. The Billboard chart dominance analysis covers how Wallen simultaneously dominates streaming and airplay in a way no country artist in the modern era has managed. He holds 19 country streaming songs No. 1s as well, and “Last Night” alone has now spent 156 weeks on that chart.

“20 Cigarettes” Across All Charts

The song is not just a country radio story. As “20 Cigarettes” hit No. 1 on Country Airplay, it also climbed from No. 13 to No. 11 on Radio Songs Billboard’s all-genre airplay tally. The track pushed to No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and re-entered the Streaming Songs chart at No. 38, while holding inside the top 10 on both Hot Country Songs and Country Streaming Songs.

That kind of cross-format movement is rare for a country radio no. 1. Most chart-toppers in the genre stay contained to country-specific lists. “20 Cigarettes” crossing over to the all-genre airplay and Hot 100 rankings shows the song is reaching beyond Wallen’s core country audience, a consistent trait in his biggest singles.

Tour Connection: Momentum Into April

Wallen opens the Still The Problem Tour in Minneapolis on April 10 at U.S. Bank Stadium, just six weeks from the time this milestone was confirmed. Arriving at that opener with a fresh chart record and a No. 1 single at radio is the kind of narrative that sustains stadium-scale attention across a long touring cycle.

The 23-date run spans 12 cities, promoted by AEG Presents (with the Tuscaloosa date produced by Live Nation). Rotating direct support includes Brooks & Dunn, HARDY, Ella Langley, and Thomas Rhett. A portion of every ticket sold benefits the Morgan Wallen Foundation, which contributed more than $600,000 in instruments to schools across U.S. touring cities in 2025 and has distributed more than $5 million in total.

Radio, streaming, RIAA certifications, and now a touring cycle spanning the country’s biggest stadiums — Wallen is running all of those engines at the same time. The “20 Cigarettes” milestone is a marker on that larger journey, not the destination.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Country Airplay No. 1s does Morgan Wallen have?

Morgan Wallen has 20 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. “20 Cigarettes” reached the top in late February 2026, making Wallen the 13th artist in the chart’s history to reach that figure. He now ties with Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, and Toby Keith for the tenth-most number of No. 1s of all time.

What record did I set at Country Airplay?

I’m the Problem became the first album in Country Airplay history to produce six No. 1 singles. Wallen previously accomplished the same feat with One Thing at a Time, making him the only artist to generate six Country Airplay leaders from two different albums. No other act has done it once, let alone twice back to back.

How fast did “20 Cigarettes” reach No. 1?

It took “20 Cigarettes” exactly 20 weeks to reach No. 1 on Country Airplay. All six No. 1 singles from I’m the Problem reached the top in 20 weeks or fewer, well below the 31-week average since Wallen first topped the chart in June 2018. The fastest was “I Had Some Help” with Post Malone, which debuted at No. 1 after just seven weeks.

Who leads the all-time Country Airplay No. 1 list?

Kenny Chesney leads with 33 career leaders on Country Airplay. Blake Shelton sits second with 30, followed by Tim McGraw with 29. Wallen’s 20 places him in a four-way tie for tenth alongside Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, and Toby Keith. He has room to climb, and his current pace of production suggests the gap to the top three may narrow over the next few albums.

Is Morgan Wallen touring in 2026?

Yes. The 2026 Still The Problem Tour runs April 10 through August 1, covering 23 stadium dates across 12 cities. The run opens at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and closes at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stops include four major college football stadiums: Clemson Memorial Stadium, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, and Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Rotating direct support includes Brooks & Dunn, HARDY, Ella Langley, and Thomas Rhett.