Morgan Wallen, country music star, exits ‘Saturday Night Live’ quickly, raising eyebrows

Country music star Morgan Wallen sparked online questions over his sudden exit during the closing moments of this weekend’s “Saturday Night Live.”

His abrupt departure during the traditional end-of-show hugs set off speculation that only grew when he posted a photo of his private jet with the caption: “Get me to God’s country.”

Sources close to him insist it was nothing more than “an ‘oops’ moment” and that “no slight was intended,” Variety reported. According to multiple other reports, Mr. Wallen’s team has said the singer had been using that same center-aisle path to exit all week during rehearsals.

Mr. Wallen had performed two songs — “I’m the Problem” and “Just in Case” — from his forthcoming album, but didn’t appear in any sketches, a notable absence for a musical guest.

Fans and critics on social media split into three camps: those who saw it as accidental, those who saw it as rude and those who hailed it as a subtle dig at what one user called “a bunch of self-righteous, sanctimonious s—-libs.”

The moment added a fresh twist to Mr. Wallen’s bumpy “SNL” history. In 2020, he was booted from a scheduled performance after breaking COVID protocols, only to return later for a tongue-in-cheek redemption sketch. And in 2021, he was caught on video using a racial slur, causing a career crisis that led to a temporary industry freeze-out but didn’t stop his rise.