Morgan Wallen doesn’t always love being famous.
Speaking on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, the 31-year-old country artist, who shot to stardom as a contestant on season six of The Voice, said fame is “still weird” to him nearly a week after his abrupt exit from Saturday Night Live sparked controversy.
“There’s parts of that that I don’t like,” Wallen said of fame. “I think anybody who has to deal with that … it’s not ideal. It’s not ideal to go everywhere.
“And even if you don’t get bothered, you were on edge the whole time because you thought you might [be bothered],” he continued. “There’s things that you just don’t do. There’s just things you don’t do anymore.”
The Grammy winner went on to explain how hunting always helps to relieve his anxieties.
He said: “I can go be with my buddies. I’m in the middle of nowhere. I can be at ease. I can not stress out. You just find ways to supplement it, I think, you know?”
If it’s not hunting, it’s being in a bar. Yet, Wallen admitted, “it might be the best thing” for him not to go out drinking so often.
In fact, he hasn’t stepped foot in a bar since he was arrested in Nashville in April 2024 after he threw a chair off the rooftop of Eric Church’s bar.
The “Whiskey Glasses” singer ended up pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, resulting in a two-year probation sentence and one week in a DUI education center.
Wallen’s comments on fame come nearly a week after he faced criticism for abruptly exiting the SNL stage following his March 29 performance on the live, late-night comedy show.
The artist ignored the tradition of staying on stage and celebrating with the cast as the credits roll at the end of the episode.
Wallen gave a quick hug to host Mikey Madison (Anora) before exiting.
Sources close to the “Cowgirls” vocalist told Variety there was no ill intent behind Wallen’s immediate departure or subsequent social media post, and he enjoyed himself on the SNL stage.
His performance included two song debuts — “I’m the Problem” and “Just in Case” — from his new album, One Thing at a Time, which was released on March 3.
After the episode aired, Wallen took to his Instagram Story to share a photo of his private jet on the runway with the caption, “Get me to God’s country.”
The short phrase has since gone viral, and now, Wallen is capitalizing on the moment by selling T-shirts and hats with the same phrase emblazoned on them.
