Country music star Morgan Wallen is under fire again after abruptly walking off the “Saturday Night Live” stage on March 29.
Instead of participating in the post-show banter that follows each episode, Wallen gave his co-host actress Mikey Madison a hug then made an early exit, leaving many SNL fans and cast members shocked.
“I don’t know what goes through people’s minds when they decide to do stuff like that,” SNL cast member Kenan Thompson told Entertainment Weekly. I don’t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way.”
Usually, the cast and crew join on stage to say ‘goodbye’ or ‘great show’ as the credits roll. Wallen, however, didn’t seem interested in the tradition, sparking speculation about his abrupt departure.
“It’s definitely a spike in the norm,” Thompson said. “We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, “Good job, good job, good job.” So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?”
Social media quickly lit up with theories after he posted an Instagram story of a plane with the caption, “Get me to God’s country,” making it seem as though he was eager to leave New York behind.
Wallen was previously featured on “SNL” as a musical guest in 2020 where he remained on stage, engaging with the cast during the closing moments of the show. His initial booking was postponed after a video surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic of Wallen partying at the University of Alabama without a mask.
“I’m not positive for COVID,” Wallen said. “But my actions this past weekend were pretty short sighted, and they’ve obviously affected my long term goals and my dreams. I respect the show’s decision, because I know that I put them in jeopardy.”
When the show invited Wallen back in December of that year, he performed a skit with Jason Bateman making fun of the situation.
“I am you from the future and I came here to stop you from partying tonight,” Bateman’s character said to Wallen. “Trust me, somebody’s gonna post a video of you ignoring COVID protocols, the whole internet’s gonna freak out. … Once people hear about the party, you’re in big trouble, man. You’re gonna get kicked off ‘Saturday Night Live.’”
This time around, many fans are speculating there were occurrences backstage where Wallen disagreed with producers about the planned segments, but there hasn’t been any confirmation of this theory.
This isn’t the first time Wallen has found himself at the center of controversy, though.
Beyond his seemingly turbulent relationship with “SNL,” Wallen has repeatedly made headlines for deranged actions — the most recent involving him throwing a chair from a six-story rooftop bar in Nashville. In court, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.
Additionally, in February 2021, Wallen was recorded using a racial slur outside of his home in Nashville. TMZ got a hold of it, and the fallout was immediate. Wallen was dropped from Cumulus Media radio stations, which includes over 400 stations across 85 markets in the U.S.
“Effective immediately we request that all of Morgan Wallen’s music be removed from our playlists without exception,” a directive sent to all Cumulus Media stations said at the time. Wallen was also temporarily suspended from his record label, Big Loud Records.
“In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely,” Big Loud’s statement said. “Republic Records fully supports Big Loud’s decision and agrees such behavior will not be tolerated.”
Despite the various instances of backlash, Wallen’s career remains largely unshaken, with his music continuing to top charts and sell out arenas. His ability to weather controversy has led some to question if this “SNL” incident will just be another footnote in his history of public missteps.
