Country music starMorgan Wallenhas never been one to conform to society’s expectations of him as an artist or a celebrity. The “Thinkin' Bout Me"singer recently made headlines not for following trends but by boldly following his own path after abruptly walking off the stage following a performance onSaturday Night Live. The reaction from the cast and audience was instant, and Wallen was bombarded with praise and criticism. Not one to turn the other cheek in the face of controversy, the star responded almost instantly on social media with a cryptic post. And now, a month after the shocking incident,the star is finally opening up on why he abruptly left the SNL stage.
Morgan Wallen is no stranger to controversy. The thirty-one-year-old has faced plenty since he took the country music scene by storm in 2023 with one of his highest chart-topping singles, “Last Night,” off his number one albumOne Thing At A Time. In May 2020, the singer was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication following a squirmish at a bar in Nashville, Tennessee. The star was also captured on video by TMZ hurling racial slurs following a rowdy night out in 2021, for which he has since apologized.Wallen’s legal troubleswould continue four years later, in April 2024, when he was arrested and charged with felony recklessness and endangerment, among other minor charges, aftersupposedly throwing a chair off a rooftop bar in Nashville.
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One might think that, following a series of scandalous moments, Wallen’s career would begin to fade into the sunset; however, that’s not been the case. The star achieved more success in 2024, following the release of hisduet with Post Malone titled “I Had Some Help,“as well as several singles such as “Lie Lies Lies” off of his upcoming fourth studio albumI’m The Problem. In thelatest Morgan Wallen scandal, the “Love Somebody” singer found himself at the center of controversy following his performance on SNL.
The star appeared on the March 30 episode of the popular late-night sketch show to sing his song “I’m The Problem”. Following a soulful performance, the father of one joined the rest of the cast to close the show. However, as the end credits began to run,Morgan Wallen abruptly left the SNL stagewithout staying to commiserate with the rest of the cast, as custom.
According to People Magazine, the incident went down after SNL hostMickey Madison, standing next to Wallen on theStudio 8Hstage, expressed her thanks to all who made the show possible, stating, “I had a wonderful time.” As the camera zoomed off, Wallen was seen whispering something to the host before suddenly stepping off the stage and leaving the studio.
Morgan Wallen Received Backlash Following SNL Walk Off
Wallen’s surprising walk-off from Saturday Night Live immediately made headlines, with many major publications accusing the star ofdiva-like behavior.Social media users also sounded off on the shocking incident, with one fan writing on X, “Life is simple; if you don’t like it, don’t go on the show! Trust your fan base and promote your career where you feel happy. Don’t make other people’s lives more difficult…his entitlement and rudeness are out of this world!” While the incident sparked outrage against Wallen, many fans and viewers came to his defense. As one fan said on Reddit, “Honestly, I don’t see the big deal. He didn’t walk off mid-goodbye; the show was technically over. People wanna find problems with everything these days.”
However, after the incident, Wallen’s immediate behavior caused even more of a divide and uproar among netizens.The “Way I Talk,“singer posted an image of his private jet on Instagram stories with the caption"Get Me To God’s Country"in reference to his home state of Tennessee.
As a response to the since viral moment, long-timeSNL cast member Kenan Thomassaid in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “I definitely saw it…I don’t know what goes through people’s minds when they decide to do stuff like that.I don’t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way.”
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Over a month later, the usually private Morgan Wallen opened up about his thoughts on the incident. In an exclusive sit-down interview on May 11 on theSundae Conversations with Caleb Pressley podcast, Preseley brought up SNL “Could you fix a TV, if it was onSNL?” Wallen responded by saying, “I could change it for sure.” Pressley then asked, “Seriously,SNL, did they make you mad?” Wallen replied: “No, no, I was just ready to go home. I’d been there all week.” When Pressley brought up Wallen’s viral Instagram jet photo and caption, all Wallen said was “Yeah.”
As reported by E! News, the two-timeCountry Music Awardwinner, has since launched a merchandise line with his now iconic caption “Get Me To God’s Country” on his official website.
Morgan Wallen’s March 2025 SNL incident wasn’t the only time he’s had a bad run with the show. In October 2020, during the height of theCOVID-19 pandemic, videos began circulating on social media ofWallen defying CDC guidelines at various events, such as not wearing a face mask. After significant backlash, the singer’s appearance on SNL was canceled.
Wallen later went on Instagram and posted a message following his revoked invitation: “I’m in a hotel room in New York City. I was getting ready forSNLthis Saturday, andI got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play,” Wallen said in the video. “And that’s because of COVID protocols, which I understand. I’m not positive for COVID, but my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted and that have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams.” Wallen continued with: “I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy. I take ownership for this. I’d like to apologize toSNL, to my fans, to my team, for bringing me these opportunities and I let ’em down.”
While he returned two months later to perform there, his experience in 2020 was significantly more light-hearted than his last, as he appeared in a sketch spoofing the COVID-19 controversy.
you may listen to Morgan Wallen’s catalog of music on Spotify.
