The Reported Reason Why Morgan Wallen Abruptly Left ‘SNL’ Stage

Morgan Wallen shocked Saturday Night Live viewers when he broke a decades-long tradition by walking off the SNL stage before the rest of the cast and crew – but he reportedly wasn’t dissing the long-running show.

The country star appeared as a musical guest on the March 29 episode, hosted by Academy Award winner Mikey Madison, to perform two songs from his upcoming album – “I’m the Problem” and “Just in Case.”

While Wallen joined the SNL cast at the end of the show, as is customary, he could be seen whispering something into Madison’s ear before exiting the stage at Studio 8H. Not longer after, he returned to social media to post a photo of a private jet to his Instagram Story with the words “Get me to God’s country” written over top.

Although the move marked a major break from tradition – the cast, crew, and guests typically stick around during the SNL close – and sparked plenty of comments from viewers, sources close to the singer told Variety that Wallen “had a good time and no slight was intended with either his prominent exit or his Instagram post.” The sources added that “no slight was intended,” and it was “simply an ‘oops’ moment.” According to the sources, it was “the way he entered and exited the studio all week during rehearsal and camera blocking, so he wasn’t thinking about being on-camera when he strolled off stage.”

Following the Saturday night mishap, SNL writer Josh Patten poked fun at Wallen’s exit when he posted a photo of a Krispy Kreme truck to his Instagram Stories, captioned, “get me to God’s Country.”

Wallen has not reacted to controversy at this time, and SNL also hasn’t publicly addressed Wallen’s abrupt stage exit.

Wallen’s March 29 appearance marked his latest as an SNL guest and comes more than four years after his controversial SNL debut in December 2020, during which he performed “7 Summers” and “Still Goin Down” from Dangerous: The Double Album. Wallen had originally been meant to appear two months earlier, but was swapped for a last-minute replacement after he broke the show’s COVID-19 safety protocols when he was photographed kissing multiple college women and partying maskless in Alabama. He later poked fun at the issue in a sketch during his debut appearance.