Decorum has never really been an element of Morgan Wallen’s brand — a certain defiance and refusal to do the done thing is a stance that resonates with some in this particular era, but not necessarily everyone. So when the superstar country singer abruptly walked offstage at the end of “Saturday Night Live” back in March, when most hosts and musical guests stand with the cast celebrating and sharing hugs and handshakes, even the cast was taken aback.
Wallen initially made a comment via a post on his Instagram Stories, with a photo from his private jet captioned “Get me to God’s country,” and literally capitalized on the moment by selling merch with the catchphrase on it.
More from Variety
Weekend Update Slams ‘Woke’ Pope Accusations, Jokes About Trump’s Film Tariffs and Summer Movie Season
Walton Goggins Uses His ‘SNL’ Monologue to Reflect on Being a Sex Symbol at 53 – Despite Some Headlines Praising His ‘Receding Hairline’
John Oliver Says ‘SNL’ British Version Is a ‘Terrible Idea’: ‘I Don’t Know How You Can Impose That Cult Onto the U.K.’
Sources in Wallen’s camp told Variety the day after the episode filmed that Wallen had no tension with “SNL” and stressed the singer had a good time and no slight was intended with either his prompt exit or his Instagram post. A guest in attendance at the “SNL” dress rehearsal taping confirmed that Wallen walked off the stage in similar fashion to what happened during the live taping.
The show, of course, wasn’t done. James Austin Johnson took a shot in the next show with his ubiquitous Donald Trump impersonation, dropping the phrase into a bit about the president’s tariffs on uninhabited islands. Colin Jost poked at him in “Weekend Update,” saying Trump’s tariffs have sent the stock market plummeting “faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights.” And castmember Keenan Thompson went off, telling Entertainment Weekly, “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.
“You see somebody before you get a chance to say hi or say good job or anything like that, they just dipping,” Thompson continued. “I thought maybe he had to go to the potty or something… It’s definitely a spike in the norm. 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?”
On Sunday, Wallen made a rare interview appearance on on comedian Caleb Pressley’s podcast, during which the host backed into the question after a joking bit about the singer doing a lot of work around the house (which he apparently no longer does).
“Could you fix a TV, if it was on SNL?,” Pressley asked. Wallen laughed and said, “I could change it for sure.”
“Seriously, SNL, did they make you mad?” Pressley followed.
But Wallen downplayed the question. “No, no, I was just ready to go home. I been there all week.” See the interview below; Wallen’s forthcoming album, “I’m the Problem,” is out on Friday.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series – The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and ‘Hot Ones’ Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: ‘Sinners’ Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
