Morgan Wallen breaks silence on 'SNL' after abrupt exit sparked controversy

Fox News

12-05-2025

Morgan Wallen was ready to go home – and he meant it.
Back on March 29, the "I'm the Problem" singer was the musical guest for "Saturday Night Live" when he abruptly left the stage during the traditional end-of-show credits segment.
Shortly after leaving Manhattan's 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Wallen wrote that he was excited to return home. The country music star shared a photo on his Instagram Stories of a private jet with the caption "Get me to God's country" written over it.
On Sunday, the 31-year-old appeared on comedian Caleb Pressley's podcast when he finally addressed his sudden exit.
"Seriously, 'SNL,' did they make you mad?" the host questioned after cracking several jokes.
"No, no, I was just ready to go home," said Wallen. "I've been there all week."
During the episode, the two also poked fun at another incident that landed the star in hot water.
"Do you mind if we do a new segment presented by Food Barn, please?" said Pressley. "In this segment, I want you to name a thing that you can sit in that also flies through the air."
"I mean, there's one obvious answer," said Wallen. "Why do you want me to say that though? I mean, yeah, a jet."
"There's another answer to that question as well," Pressley teased. "You can sit in it, and it can also fly through the air."
"Oh, I know the answer to that question," said the singer. "A chair!"
In 2024, Wallen was sentenced to spend seven days in a DUI education center and be under supervised probation for two years after throwing a chair from the rooftop of a Nashville, Tennessee, bar. The chair nearly hit two police officers.
Regarding the "SNL" incident, sources previously told Fox News Digital that nothing was wrong at the show, and Wallen's walk-off appeared to be an "oops" moment.
"That was the way he entered and exited the studio all week during rehearsal and camera blocking, so he just walked that way after hugging [host] Mikey [Madison]," an insider revealed.
It is customary for "SNL" guests to stay and congratulate the cast. In the episode, Madison thanked the "Last Night" singer for appearing on the show before he walked directly off the stage. Cameras then panned out to the cast congratulating each other.
During his appearance, Wallen performed two songs from his upcoming album, including "Just in Case" and "I'm the Problem." While the sudden exit sparked rumors of a disagreement between Wallen and "SNL," he appeared unfazed. Instead, Morgan capitalized on the viral exit by selling merchandise with the phrase "Get me to God's country" written on them.
A week after Wallen's appearance, "SNL" addressed the incident in a cold-open bit, Billboard.com reported. According to the outlet, James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump impersonation took a shot at Wallen while discussing "Liberation Day" tariffs.
"I even put tariffs on an island uninhabited by humans," said Johnson in character. "It's called Heard and McDonald Island. I would love to visit there. Can you imagine that? Big Mac and a hula skirt. Get me to God's country, right? Remember that?"
The outlet reported that during that same April 5 episode, Colin Jost targeted the singer during a bit about the economy.
"This was the worst week for the stock market since the summer of 2020," he said. "But you have to remember — back then, the president was also Trump. Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion. Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights."
Kenan Thompson also spoke out about the unusual quickstep.
"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?" Thompson said.
Still, the comic noted that Prince pulled a similar move during his appearance years ago.
"I'm not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren't surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish," Thompson said. "It's just how he was. So, we just thought like, 'OK, now he's gone back into fantasyland.'"
Morgan's return to "SNL" was years in the making following a controversial debut.
WATCH: MORGAN WALLEN RAISES EYEBROWS FOR WALKING OFF 'SNL' BEFORE SHOW END
Roughly seven months into the pandemic, Wallen was asked to be the musical guest on an October episode of "Saturday Night Live." Days before he was scheduled to perform, footage went viral across social media showing the singer not wearing a COVID mask at an Alabama football game and celebrating with various women at a bar afterward. People who supported masks and social distancing during the pandemic were outraged.
He was immediately removed from the scheduled "SNL" appearance. Wallen apologized in a video shared online.
"I'm in New York City in a hotel room, I was getting ready for 'SNL' this Saturday, and I got a call from the show letting me know that I will no longer be able to play," he said. "That's because of COVID protocols, which I understand."
After apologizing, he added, "I think I've lost myself a little bit. I've tried to find joy in the wrong places, and it's left me with less joy. So I'mma go try to work on that. I'm gonna take a step back from the spotlight for a while and go work on myself."
Two months later, Wallen was invited back to 30 Rockefeller Plaza for a second chance on "Saturday Night Live." He not only performed, but also poked fun at his bar antics while appearing in a sketch with Pete Davidson, Jason Bateman and Bowen Yang.
When the episode was over, he thanked the audience for "giving this poor Southern boy a second Yankee chance."