‘SNL’: Jack White Masks up, Takes off for New York City After Replacing Morgan Wallen

Jack White will make his first Saturday Night Live appearance since 2018 this weekend, but not the way he intended. The former White Stripes guitarist was picked at the last moment to replace country singer Morgan Wallen, who was dropped after he was seen ignoring coronavirus guidelines at an event earlier in the week. White shared a photo of himself wearing a face mask, alongside bassist Dominic John Davis and drummer Daru Jones.

“Jack in power trio mode. Tune in to [SNL] tomorrow night,” the caption to the photo, published on Friday, read. The three musicians posed in front of a small private jet, all wearing face coverings, before they headed to New York. This is White’s first appearance on SNL since April 14, 2018, and his fourth overall appearance. He appeared on SNL for the first time in 2011 as a member of The White Stripes.

White does not have a new solo album to promote, as his last album, Boarding House Reach, was released in March 2018. Third Man Records is releasing the White Stripes’ first compilation album, The White Stripes Greatest Hits, on Dec. 4 though. White and his ex-wife Meg White recorded six albums together as the White Stripes between 1999 and 2007. The tracklist for the hits album still has not been revealed, but it will include a live recording of “Ball and Biscuit,” report Pitchfork. The album will include 26 songs and span all eras of their career.

This weekend’s SNL episode will be hosted by comedian Bill Burr and starts at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Wallen, a former The Voice contestant, was set to perform until videos of Wallen partying without a mask in Alabama surfaced earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Wallen shared a video on Instagram from his New York hotel room, notifying fans he will no longer perform and apologized for his actions. He said his partying was “pretty short-sighted, and have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams.” Wallen said he was also invited back to SNL at a later date.

During a Today Show interview with Willie Geist, SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels said announced White would replace Wallen. “He probably isn’t the first country singer, the first person from rock and roll who partied after a big, in that case, a football game, or a concert,” Michaels said. “We’re just living in a different time, and everything is scrutinized.”