Morgan Wallen walks off SNL stage, returns to 'God's country'
Morgan Wallen left "Saturday Night Live" for "God's country."
The country singer returned to the late-night sketch comedy show as the musical act for the first time in five years to promote his upcoming album, "I'm the Problem." After host Mikey Madison thanked the "Last Night" singer for appearing on the show, Wallen walked directly off the stage, as cameras panned out to the cast congratulating each other for another completed episode.
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Shortly after leaving Manhattan's 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Wallen wrote that he was excited to return home.
"Get me to God's country," the "Sand in My Boots" singer told his millions of fans on Instagram stories.
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Sources told Fox News Digital that nothing was wrong at "SNL," 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 Mikey," an insider revealed.
Wallen performed two songs from his upcoming album, including "Just in Case" and "I'm the Problem."
His return to "SNL" was years in the making following a controversial debut.
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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."
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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."
Wallen was recently nominated for a host of 2025 ACM Awards, including entertainer of the year, male artist of the year, artist-songwriter of the year, and single of the year with Post Malone for their hit, "I Had Some Help."