SNL has savage dig at Morgan Wallen one week after nation star walked off set early
Saturday Night Live has hit back at Morgan Wallen after the country music star’s controversial appearance on the show last Saturday (29 March).
Wallen was performing on the show as a musical guest, but walked off set at the beginning of the credits instead of mingling with the other cast members – something many saw as a purposeful snub.
He then posted a photo on Instagram of a private jet, alongside the caption: “Get me to God’s country.”
A source close to Wallen told Variety that his abrupt exit had not been an intentional slight, and that he had enjoyed his stint on SNL, performing two songs (“I’m the Problem” and “Just in Case”) from his new album One Thing at a Time.
The longrunning sketch series nonetheless took aim at Wallen during the following week’s episode.
During the opening skit, Donald Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, addressed the real-life trade tariffs that were controversially announced this week.
“I even put tariffs on an island uninhabited by humans. It’s called McDonald Island,” the Trump character said. “McDonald island, I would love to visit there. Can you imagine that? Big Mac and a hula skirt. Ooh la la.”
“Get me to God’s country, right?” he added, in an apparent reference to Wallen.
Another dig at Wallen was included in the show’s regular Weekend Update segment, and was delivered by Colin Jost.
Speaking about the devastating impact the trade tariffs have had on the economy, Jost joked: “’Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion. Money is leaving the stock faster than Morgan Wallen at ‘Good night’.”
The remark prompted a wave of applause from the studio audience.
SNL stalwart Kenan Thompson is among those to have taken umbridge at Wallen’s “abrupt” exit from the show last week.
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“I don’t know what goes through people’s minds when they decide to do stuff like that,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I don’t know if [Wallen] understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way.
“You see somebody before you get a chance to say ‘hi’ or say ‘good job’ or anything like that, they just dipping,” he added. “I thought maybe he had to go to the potty or something… It’s definitely a spike in the norm.”
Wallen also reportedly refused to participate in one pre-recorded sketch, forcing the SNL producers to re-cast the role with Joe Jonas.
