Country star Morgan Wallen booted from ‘SNL’ after videos surface of maskless party
Country star Morgan Wallen won’t be performing on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend after videos on social media showed him partying without a mask in Alabama after a college football game.
The 27-year-old country music singer from Tennessee made the announcement in an Instagram video from his New York City hotel room Wednesday.
“I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy and I take ownership for this,” he said. “I’d like to apologize to ’SNL,’ to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities — and I let them down.”
Wallen cited “COVID protocols” as the reason for his sudden departure from the show, which is set to broadcast in two days.
In an interview Friday morning, ”SNL” creator and producer Lorne Michaels told the ”Today” show singer-songwriter Jack White will replace Wallen as the musical guest. White is a former member of The White Stripes and last performed on ”SNL” in 2018.
“He’s always good on the show, just always good,” Michaels said, according to the ”Today” show.
Videos on TikTok over the weekend showed Wallen partying after the University of Alabama and Texas A&M football game on Saturday. In one of the videos, captioned “Met Morgan Wallen last night,” Wallen is seen taking shots and kissing someone in a crowded room with little social distancing and few people wearing masks.
He said he hasn’t tested positive for the coronavirus but called his actions over the weekend “shortsighted.”
“This is a tough video for me to make but a necessary one,” Wallen said in his apology.
The singer said he had hoped to make “country music and my fans proud” during his ”SNL” debut but respected the show’s decision. Michaels reportedly gave Wallen “a lot of encouragement” in letting him go, saying they’d “find another time to make this up,” Wallen said.
In the meantime, the singer said he plans to “take a step back from the spotlight for a little while and go work on myself.”
“I think I have some growing up to do,“ he said. “I think I’ve lost myself a little bit. I’ve tried to find joy in the wrong places.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Country star Morgan Wallen booted from ‘SNL’ after videos surface of maskless party."
