Morgan Wallen didn’t spend a second longer in Studio 8H than he needed to.
The “Whiskey Glasses” singer ended his latest Saturday Night Live appearance with an awkward moment, abruptly exiting the stage in the middle of the show’s traditional goodnights segment.
Customarily, guests stick around to bid farewell to the SNL cast members as the credits and cameras roll. But while Wallen initially appeared beside host and recent Oscar winner Mikey Madison at the end of the episode, he kept his farewell short.
“Thanks to Morgan Wallen. I had a wonderful time,” Madison told the crowd with a wave. “Thank you all.”
Wallen saluted the crowd, shared a hug with Madison, and seemed to whisper something into her ear. He then turned around and walked past the camera and off the stage.
Morgan Wallen walks off the ‘Saturday Night Live’ stage. NBC
Later that night, the singer shared a photo of a private jet to his Instagram Stories, captioning it, “Get me to God’s country.”
Viewers noticed his abrupt exit, with many criticizing it on social media.
According to a source close to the situation, Wallen exited “the way he entered and exited the studio all week during rehearsal and camera blocking,” which is why he simply said goodbye to Madison and left.
An image from Morgan Wallen’s Instagram Story following his ‘Saturday Night Live’ performance. Morgan Wallen/Instagram
This is not the first time Wallen has stirred up controversy with an SNL appearance. Back in October 2020, the country singer was disinvited from his scheduled SNL debut for breaking guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19.
Days before he was set to appear on the show, Wallen was photographed kissing several women at a college party in Alabama, where he was maskless. In an emotional video, Wallen told fans that while he had not tested positive for COVID-19, he respected SNL‘s decision to cancel his performance.
“My actions this past weekend were pretty shortsighted, and they’ve obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams,” Wallen said at the time. “I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy. I take ownership for this. I’d like to apologize to SNL, to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities. I let them down. And on a more personal note, I think I have some growing up to do.”
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Wallen eventually appeared on the show just two months later, spoofing the incident in a bar sketch with Jason Bateman, Pete Davidson, and Bowen Yang.
Morgan Wallen. John Shearer/Getty
That same year, Wallen was arrested in Nashville for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors later abandoned the charges.
He stoked controversy yet again in 2021, when he was captured on video using the N-word to describe a friend. The clip led to the suspension of his record label contract, removal of his music from radio airplay, and disqualification from the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Wallen was also arrested in 2024 for throwing a chair off a rooftop bar onto the ground below, to which he later pled guilty.
Wallen’s upcoming fourth album, I’m the Problem, seems to allude to his past errors. The singer performed the title track during his latest SNL appearance against a backdrop of scrapbook-like photos and articles about his exploits.
