Morgan Wallen addresses abrupt ‘Saturday Night Live’ exit

God’s country townsman Morgan Wallen is addressing his abrupt exit from Saturday Night Live for the first time, clarifying that he has no beef with the cast members.

Appearing on the latest episode of Sundae Conversation With Caleb Pressley, Wallen laughed off becoming a meme after he swiftly walked off the SNL stage at the top of the show’s goodnight segments, opting out of the usual handshakes and hugs alongside host Mikey Madison during the March 29 episode in which he was musical guest.

“Could you fix a TV?” Pressley asked Wallen on the irreverent talk show, adding after a beat, “If it was on SNL?”

“I could change it, for sure,” Wallen said with a laugh.

“Seriously, SNL: Did they make you mad?” Pressley asked, to which Wallen gave a firm “no.”

“No, no. I was ready to go home,” the country singer clarified. “I’ve been there all week.”

At the end of the episode, Wallen saluted the audience and shared a hug with Madison before walking past the camera and off the stage. Later that night, he shared a photo of his private jet on Instagram Stories with the text: “Get me to God’s country.”

The entire ordeal took on a life of its own as many, including the show’s writers, parodied the text. SNL also mocked the viral moment in an April episode, spoofing it in a cold open involving Donald Trump’s tariffs and again on “Weekend Update.”

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Veteran cast member Kenan Thompson called the incident a “spike in the norm” in conversation with Entertainment Weekly back in March. “I don’t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way,” Thompson said. “I thought maybe he had to go to the potty or something . . .  it just felt so abrupt. And it was already such a small grouping on the stage anyway. So it was just like, oh wow, that was pretty visible.”

Wallen last made headlines on the SNL front after he was disinvited from his scheduled debut in 2020. Amidst strict quarantine guidelines from the CDC at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a maskless Wallen was photographed kissing several women and partying with a large group of people in Alabama. He apologized to the show and his fans for his actions, calling them “shortsighted” and conceding that he had “some growing up to do.” He went on to make his musical guest debut two months later.

Watch Wallen’s conversation with Pressley above.