Morgan Wallen is clearing the air about his viral Saturday Night Live walk-off.
During an interview on Caleb Pressley’s Sundae Conversation YouTube show released on Sunday, May 11, Wallen, 31, clarified that he truly meant no disrespect to the audience or cast when he hastily left the stage before the show’s conclusion in March.
After Pressley asked, “Seriously, SNL, did they make you mad?” Wallen shut down any hint of displeasure on his end. “No, no, I was just ready to go home. I [had] been there all week,” he answered.
Wallen was the musical guest on the show’s Mikey Madison-hosted episode on March 29. He abruptly walked off the stage before the show’s end credits had concluded and later posted a photo of his private jet with the caption “Get me to God’s country” via his Instagram Story.
During the show, Wallen performed “I’m the Problem” and “Just in Case” from his upcoming album, set to be released on May 16.
The appearance was his first after he was pulled from the show’s line-up in 2020 after he was spotted partying without a mask and kissing women indiscriminately.
On April 1, Variety reported Wallen turned down the “Big Dumb Line” skit with host Madison, Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang. The role was ultimately played by Joe Jonas.
The cast of Saturday Night Live poked fun at Wallen’s departure in two sketches on April 5. “This was the worst week for the stock market since the summer of 2020,” Colin Jost, 42, began during his “Weekend Update” segment. “But you have to remember, back then, the president was also [Donald] Trump. Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion.”
He continued, “Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at ‘Goodnights.’”
Wallen’s “God’s country” line also inspired a joke in the show’s cold open. “McDonald Island? I’d love to visit there,” James Austin Johnson, impersonating Trump, joked in the opening skit. “Can you imagine that? A Big Mac and a hula skirt? Ooh la la! … I want to go to there. Get me to God’s country, right?”
During the April 2 episode of Theo Von’s “Last Weekend” podcast, Wallen opened up about how he’s impacted by fame. “It’s still weird, and there’s parts of [fame] that I don’t like,” he shared. “I think anybody who has to deal with that … it’s not ideal.”
Wallen continued: “It’s not ideal to go everywhere, and even if you don’t get bothered, you were on edge the whole time because you thought you might. There’s things that you just don’t do. There’s just things you don’t do anymore.”
He added that hunting is one activity he’s still able to participate in. “I can go be with my buddies. I’m in the middle of nowhere. I can be at ease,” he explained. “I can not stress out. You just find ways to supplement it, I think, you know?”
