Why did Morgan Wallen walk off SNL stage? Everything about the singer's abrupt exit

Morgan Wallen, who appeared on the late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live, reportedly made an abrupt exit during the show’s March 29 episode. Saturday Night Live has been attracting the attention of audiences and fans on the internet not merely for the acts and performances on display during its recent episode, but also because of what happened right at the end.

The March 29 episode of Saturday Night Live was hosted by actress Mikey Madison, who recently won the Best Actress award at the Oscars on March 2, 2025. At the end of the episode, Madison, who was the episode’s guest host, was seen standing beside Morgan Wallen. Wallen had performed two songs earlier that evening.

As the end credits began to roll, Morgan Wallen hugged Madison, whispered a few words in her ear, and simply walked off the stage while the broadcast was still on, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Given that it is customary for the musician to stand beside the host till the end credits finish rolling, this incident has fueled speculations online.

Morgan Wallen’s Instagram story, posted just after he left the show, contained a cryptic caption, according to Fox News. Wallen reportedly wrote,

“Get me to God's country"

Wallen did not reveal what prompted his story and what he hoped to convey. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wallen's Instagram story, along with the cryptic message, was accompanied by an image that seemed to be a private jet on the runway. As per the same report, Saturday Night Live writer Josh Patten responded to Wallen’s Instagram story, posting the same caption with a contrasting image.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Patten’s response to Wallen’s post consisted of an image of a truck with its back end open.

The social media exchange between Patten and Wallen, along with the musician’s abrupt exit, has made sure that Wallen’s Saturday Night Live appearance became a trending topic of discussion on the internet.

According to Fox News, unnamed sources told the news outlet that Wallen’s abrupt exit was an “oops” moment. Fox News, while quoting another unidentified insider, reported that there was nothing unusual on the day of the shooting. As per the outlet, Wallen’s behavior was the same while he had been rehearsing for the show.

Morgan Wallen’s previous Saturday Night Live appearance

Morgan Wallen has been promoting his upcoming album, I'm the Problem, which is slated to be released later this year on May 16. I'm the Problem would be the country singer’s fourth studio album release.

On the March 29 episode of Saturday Night Live, Wallen performed the title track from his new album, also singing “Just in Case,” which features in his upcoming album as well, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Wallen was performing on Saturday Night Live after a gap of five years.

The last time the country artist was slated to appear on the show, the organizers of Saturday Night Live had to cancel his appearance. Wallen was set to appear on Saturday Night Live during one of its episodes, which was to be shot during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as per a report by Fox News, Wallen’s appearance had to be postponed as the singer had been spotted flouting pandemic restrictions in social media videos.

The country artist’s appearance on Saturday Night Live eventually took place on December 20 that year.

Morgan Wallen’s previous album was released in 2023. The album One Thing at a Time, which had spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart, was also named the no. 1 album in the list of 2023 Billboard 200 Albums.