Morgan Wallen’s camp has spoken out amid online backlash against the artist for his abrupt exit after his Saturday Night Live performance this past weekend.
On March 29, the 31-year-old country singer, who shot to stardom after winning season six of The Voice, was the guest performer for Saturday’s installment of the late-night comedy sketch series alongside host Mikey Madison.
Wallen’s 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.
But unlike the musical guests who have been on the show in the past, Wallen suddenly walked off stage after his performance, forgoing the tradition of staying on with the rest of the cast until the broadcast officially cut out.
The “Last Night” singer only stayed on long enough to quickly acknowledge the crowd and hug Anora star Madison.
Later that night, he took to his Instagram to share a foggy picture of his private jet in New York with the cryptic caption, “Get me to God’s country.”
Sources close to Wallen 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. It was also revealed that Wallen had walked on and exited the stage the same way during rehearsals, and he may not have been thinking about the camera during his abrupt departure during the broadcast.
The Independent has reached out to Wallen’s representatives for comment.
Still, fans of the show immediately slammed the singer on social media for his post-performance behavior.
“Morgan Wallen proving once again he has ZERO self control...storming off the stage before the credits even rolled. Hope the tantrum was worth it because you'll NEVER be on SNL again,” one person wrote on X.
A second added: “Morgan Wallen is the first musical guest or host on SNL that I can recall who just walked off stage during 'goodnights' before the credits even started to roll.”
“Morgan Wallen with a little more of the...petty loser s*** he so proudly displayed running offstage down the center aisle & right past the camera at SNL curtain call,” one fan tweeted. “This & the tone-deaf private jet flaunt couldn’t be more lame & undercutting coming from a country star.”
Wallen’s Saturday appearance wasn’t his first time performing on the show. The vocalist took the SNL stage in December 2020. However, Wallen was originally scheduled to host an October 2020 episode but was dropped after footage exposed him partying and ignoring social distancing measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play, and that’s because of Covid protocols, which I understand,” he said in an IGTV video at the time. “I’m not positive for Covid but my actions this past weekend were pretty shortsighted and they have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams.”
This past December, Wallen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges after chucking a chair off the roof of a Nashville bar and nearly hitting two cops with it. After being held in a DUI education center for seven days, the “I Had Some Help” artist will be on supervised probation for two years.
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